Dillon: The Daughter of Zeus
by DrtyDiva
Summary: Dillion is an ordinary girl trying not to chock her roommate at the only prep school that would accept her, until a son of the Underworld drags her from the only home she has ever known. She is thrust into the whirlpool of the Olympians and Camp Half Blood. Dillion is the daughter of Zeus and its up to her to save the world...if her hormones don't kill her first
1. And so it Begins

I was sitting in class tapping a pen against my desk. Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap. A few of the girls threw me dirty looks and I ignored them. It was my pen and I could tap if I wanted to.

I had only been sitting in my classes since 10a.m. Well the first class was gym and there wasn't too much sitting going on in there. I think some pissed off teacher invented gym class to get back at all the students who had messed up their day. I mean it was slow torture, especially for the girl who weren't going to be on the Olympic power lifting team or something. I hate gym, but it was the one class I didn't have to struggle to pay attention in.

Back to reality. It was only 11 a.m. But I was already bored out of my mind and ready to jump on my board and ride out of here. I couldn't keep my hands still and I couldn't focus on whatever stupid thing was going on in the class. I let loose a frustrated sign and Bre cut her eyes at me. I stuck my tongue out at her and she went back to playing on her Ipod. You would think that me and Bre were closer than that since we had been sharing a room for almost the entire semester, but I didn't like her anymore than she liked me. And that was just the way things went with us. She was a snobby blueblood who thought I was scum because I was on scholarship. I guess the fact that this was my 4th school since I left elementary school didn't bode well.

I tugged at the collar of my royally stupid standard issue Bellowood Academy jacket. It was cutting off the circulation to my head, and it was possibly the most ridiculous thing I had ever been made to wear in my life. And that was saying a lot coming from all the different schools I had been kicked out of. I mean it was bright yellow with huge black lapels that never laid down. I looked like I had strangled Big Bird. Though yellow did look good against my smooth brown skin. So that was once plus in this hole I called hell.

I sighed and tried to keep my eyes from crossing and falling into a stupor. My eyes were roaming all over the place and I tried to focus on something and I just glanced out in the window in an effort to make myself focus when I saw someone looking in the window at me. I sat up straighter in my chair and peered at the person. I really hated people looking at me and this person obviously didn't get the hint as they kept staring at me. He was creeping me out because I felt like he knew that I was looking at him looking at me.

I was just about to make a very rude gesture with my hand when the person staring at me pulled out a cell phone with snakes crawling all over it. I screamed and jumped out of my chair. I was ready to run to the door tear it open and shoot down the hallway back up to my room and dive under the covers and not come out till Animal Kingdom had been called. Everyone looked up at me.

"Dillon Parker I have asked you not to disrupt my class again," The Dome barked at me. We had nicknamed Professor Carson, "The Dome," because his bald head shone with a brightness that could rival the Lexor's light that could be seen from outer space. I glared at him. "I think a trip to the Headmaster's office will straighten you out." He told me with a smirk on his face. I could have happily strangled him, but my hands were shaking. Its not everyday you feel like you're going crazy. Is it?

Instead of strangling my teacher, which I could have managed with the strap of my messenger bag; I just snatched up my books and my bag and stormed out of the room. When I grabbed the door handle it gave me a shock so powerful it almost burned my hand, I yelped and with the chorus of laughter ringing in my ears I stomped out of the classroom, but I didn't care. I was totally pissed. I was scared, my heart was racing and I wanted to suck my thumb and call my mom. Mom said there would be days like this, but I thought she was talking about turning old or something.

My spiked boots clacked down the hallway. It was deserted and I looked around. I felt unnerved and I wanted someone else to be walking in the hallways with me. But I was alone, and so I picked up the pace to head to Headmaster's office.

I wasn't looking where I was going, because frankly I just had too many things rattling around in my head and coupled with my ADHD it was giving me a right headache. I turned the corner to head up the stairs and I smack ran into someone.

It knocked me back and few paces and I had to grab the rails to keep from tumbling down to the floor. I glared up to tell them off when the man's dress took me totally by surprise. I had to blink. He was dressed in a jogging suit with a little helmet wings sprouting from sides that were actually flapping. This was Bellowood Academy and the only thing the male adults wore here were platinum tie clips and wing tips.

"What the?" I gasped.

The man smiled, "Well well." he said to me while he was constantly checking messages on his phone. "Whats the hurry? If I didn't know any better I would swear you were one of my daughters." I looked at him like he had lost his mind. Or maybe I had lost my mind. I knew I shouldn't have had that second bowl of Lucky Charms at breakfast. Maybe they really were magically... "Your protector would have been here but he is busy at the moment." He slipped his phone into his pocket, and then he finally looked me straight in the face.

"What are you talking about?" I snapped. This day was just turning out bad and all I wanted to do was crawl back into my bed and sleep till Christmas vacation. I didn't like playing games and I certainly didn't like people talking to me in riddles.

The man looked at me, his eyes softening as he did. "Well Dillon Parker I happen to know somethings about you and you are in danger. And someone very powerful wants to keep you safe so we have to get you out of here." He pulled his phone out and tapped out a text message. "Now I can't directly help you get where you need to go but I can help get you a ride. And your ride is outside right now so you better hurry. You've got some friends on the way." He smiled and gave me a shooing motion. I wanted to get away from the man so I was glad to turn and walk away, but I turned back to tell him just what I thought of him but he was gone.

Since my day was on a slow swirl down the toilet; skipping school was certainly better than going to Headmaster's office. So that was a easy choice, but did I really want to go outside and jump into a strangers care and end up on CNN? Well maybe if Anderson Cooper was covering my story, but no that would mean I was dead and that just wasn't cool.

I hurried outside, because technically I wasn't supposed to be leaving the building. I pushed open the doors and looked around the parking lot, it wasn't as if I were looking for whatever ride that guy was talking about. No one was patrolling the grounds like they were supposed to. Though Bellowood was for "troubled" kids we still had a A-List student roster and some of those needed bodyguards.

I should have turned around and gone back inside. Everything in my was screaming that something was off but I just couldn't put my finger on it. My fingers were itching with the anticipation of some ax welding maniac. But all I saw was a FedEx truck and a small boy was waving at me.

No, he wasn't waving at me. Wait, yes he was waving at me. I was the only person in the parking lot other than him. I looked around to make sure he was waving at me. This day was getting crazier and crazier. I walked over to the boy. Yeah I was walking on the bad side. He was dressed in all black with his spiky hair standing straight up on his head. He was as pale as a piece of paper and his eyes were darting around everywhere like he just couldn't settle on one thing. He was making me nervous.

"You Dillon?" he asked. His eyes kept darting back and forth across the school grounds.

"Who wants to know?" I asked. If he wanted to kill Dillon Parker he wasn't going to get me to announce that I was her and to please kidnap me and dump my body on the highway.

When he moved I saw a wicked all black blade strapped to his hip. And I did what any normal 14 year old girl would do. I freaked out. "Oh my god!" I started to back away and I was sucking in air for a scream worthy of Jamie Lee Curtis and his hand shot out and grabbed me by the wrist. For a little guy he was strong and his grip was starting to hurt. I tried to kick him so he would let go and I could run away screaming the whole time.

"We don't have time for this," he growled. Yeah it was time to get away from him. "Sleep," he whispered. Oh right like I was just going to close my eyes and.. he waved his hand in front of my face and I didn't have time to cry out before my eyes closed and everything went black.


	2. Half Blood Mad Dash

**Chapter 2: Half Blood Mad Dash**

* * *

I woke with a start. I had no idea where I was, but when the black and yellow strips caught my eye I relaxed. I was back in my room and in my own bed. With my Ralph Lauren sheets. The events of my strange day were a distant memory as my eyes adjusted to the dim light. The soft light from my glow worm lamp was helping relaxing the knot in my heat.

I looked around and my heart stopped hammering in my chest. My mom was sitting on my bench at the end of my bed. She looked up from the alternator in her hands when she heard me move. "Dillon baby are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine mom. I just had the craziest day." I pushed my long hair out of my face and took a deep breath.

My mom, Kelis Parker, was still wearing her work clothes. She was the pit crew chief on Danika Patrick's pit crew, but her jumper was pink and black and totally girlie. Her thick mane of jet black hair was swept away from her face into a stylish ponytail on top of her head. Though my mom constantly had grease under her fingernails she was still all woman, and her honey brown skin was shining. She always managed to look good no matter the situation. I envied her.

I shook my head to clear it as I leaned back against my pillow. "How did the race go today I didn't get a chance to watch it." She must have flown straight home from Indianapolis.

"Danika came in second. She was amazing, but honey we can save that for later. There are some things I have to tell you and I don't have a lot of time." My mom's face screwed up and tears spilled from her deep brown eyes. I sat up quickly and looked at her. My mom hardly ever cried and when she did it was really something serious.

"Mom what is it?" I asked. "Does it have anything to do with what happened today?" Today had been too weird of a day for me to have dreamt it all up. Thought it was nice for a moment to believe that is just a crazy day. Sometimes when you eat to many peanut butter M&M you can have crazy day. I was sure of it. Too many weird things have happened in my life for that not to be try.

My mom took a took breath to gather her thoughts and when she was ready she looked up at me. "Its about your father," she said softly.

Instantly I bristled. She might as well have said that she was a martian and the mother ship was coming back for her and I was being shipped up to leave the street kids in the sewer. She couldn't have rocked my world anymore than she just did.

My mom never talked about my father and I had to admit I was pissed about him never being there for her. She deserved more than what life had given her. She deserved the best of everything, and though we weren't poor my mom still had to get up and go to work everyday.

I folded my arms across my chest and looked at her. She took that as a sign to keep going. "It was my 19th birthday and it was the first day of the X-Games. I was so nervous before my jump." She smiled at the memory. She was happy to talk about my dad, and that just didn't jive with how I thought she should be feeling about my dad walking out on her when she was pregnant with me.

Anyways, my mom used to be this really good sky diver, like she had X-Game medals from when she was like 15. She even went to the Olympics for the trampoline. Who knew there was an Olympic sport for the trampoline right? She took the Silver medal after China that year. She had all her medals and trophies in her office. "It was the best jump of my career. It got me that gold medal," She pointed to the medal that was hanging on my wall.

She had given it to me a few years ago as a birthday present, and I loved it more almost as much as my sneaker collection. Sneakers to a 14 year old girl were a bid deal, so sue me. "As I was waiting for the medal ceremony this representative from NIKE offered to take me to dinner to discuss a sneaker deal. Well anyways we went to dinner and it was wonderful." There was that smile again. Really I would have thought talking about my dad would have pissed her off like it was doing me, but I couldn't be upset with my mom smiling like that. It melted years off her face. "We laughed and talked and laughed some more. He wanted to hear about all of my jumps, how I got my pilot's license and everything. It was the most amazing night I had ever had. I mean this man was tall and had the most striking blue eyes." She sighed like she was still that 19 year old and she was sitting across a crowded restaurant with my dad on the other side.

She continued on. "Well one thing lead to another and we spent the night together." She blushed right down to her ponytail.

Well I will be damned, my jaw dropped. I mean the quilt was tickling my chin. My mom who barely drives a mile over the speed limit, very frustrating for a kid with ADHD, and she had just told me she spent the night with a total stranger because he smiled at her. "Well that was the last time I saw him till you were born. He came and saw us in the hospital and he came clean about who he really was." She wiped at the tears that had spilled down her face. "Do you remember those bedtimes stories I used to tell you?" she whispered.

I nodded my head. "How could I forget. My favorite god was Ares," I had a bit of a temper problem and Ares seemed the only god that didn't mind bad tempers. Every night since I was six my mom would tell me a bedtime story about the Olympic gods. I liked them and my mom was a great story teller. She made the sound effects and the noises and everything. It was cheesy but it was our thing.

She took my hands into her slender hands, and she looked straight into my eyes. "They are real Dillon. And your father is Zeus." She said that like it was supposed to be Earth shattering. A giggle escaped my lips and she pulled her hands back from mine. "Its not funny Dillon and I'm not kidding." she looked deadly serious.

I still had a smile on my face, she had to be joking. "Oh come on mom. Seriously. You expect me to believe that Zeus and all them are real and you just happen to have had an affair with one of them?" I asked her like she had lost her mind. I needed a cold glass of chocolate milk if she was going to keep carrying on like that.

I swung my legs over the edge of my bed and thats when he moved. It was like the shadows rolled away from him and he stepped out of them. I squeaked and fell back into my bed. It was that boy from the parking lot. "What the hell?" I muttered. My mom slapped my arm lightly at the bad language.

My mom looked up at him. "Hey Kelis," he said to my mom. My face screwed up. How did he know my mom and what was she doing hanging out with this scruffy looking kid? "Hi Dillon. I'm Nico, son of Hades." It just rolled off his tongue like it was nothing.

I looked up at him and then looked back at my mom and I was waiting for one of them to start laughing and to tell me that I was being punked. This Nico looked like he was being pretty serious and my mom did as well.

I looked between the two of them just to make sure they were being serious. "Its all true believe me. All of it." He emphasized the last part and I really wanted to ask him what he was talking about when a loud crash in the living room shook the dust from the corners of my canopy bed. All our heads turned toward the sound. "We have to go!" Nico shouted reaching out to grab my hand and pull me from the bed. He had his sword drawn. I was trying to snatch my arm back from him. I wasn't going anywhere with him. I mean he could turn around and stick me with that thing!

My mom jumped off the bed and was rummaging around in my jewelry box . "Mom what are you doing!" I shouted as I was being pulled toward my window by the sword wielding kid. The pounding on the door continued and now I was getting scared. It didn't sound like the Chinese guy across the hall yelling about my music being too loud. Well how would he have gotten into the house and end up banging on my bedroom door.

My mom must have found what she was looking for as she turned around. "This is a present from your father. Wear it and stay safe. I can't go with you." She leaned in and kissed me on my cheek as she pressed the earrings into my palm. She gave me a fierce hug that made my eyes bulge

"What do you mean?" I asked as the banging got louder and louder. Nico yanked me back. The boy had a iron grip on my arms.

"We have to go now!" He shouted, he yanked back out onto my balcony. Well fire escape, let's be real.

"My mom is in there you flipping psycho!" I tried to pull back from him but his grip was tight on my wrist. He wasn't letting go and he wasn't taking no for an answer.

"That hellhound about to break down your door is after you not your mom. We need to leave now!" He looked over at the drain pipe and looked at me, "Can you climb?" He didn't wait for an answer as he was swinging one of his wiry legs over the edge of my fire escape and grabbing onto the drain pipe.

I had been climbing up and down that drain for years and soon I was overtaking him in a manner of seconds. My sneakers hit the pavement and I started to run. I was going to get away from this kid and back to my mom, but it seemed Nico know what I was going to do. His marble white hand was gripping the hood of my hoodie. "Running is a good idea but I've got a better way to get where we are going." He almost pulled me off my feet but I found my balance before I tipped over.

He stepped into the street and stabbed his sword into the street. I thought he was going to break every bone in his arms but where the blade hit it just sank into the street up to the hilt. "What are you doing1" I shouted my nerves were threatening to fray and that really was going to be a bad day.

A crack appeared in the street and the sulfur smell rolled up and slapped me in the face. I staggered back and cover my nose with the sleeve of my hoodie. My eyes started to water and my head was swimming.

Nothing happened at first and I was trying to find an escape, but a engine reeved from the crack and my eyes trained on the thing that was emerging from the crack. It was just a little engine rev either. It was like the devil himself was growling up from the gates of hell. My heart started hammering in my throat, and I was having trouble not wanting to suck my thumb.

At first it was just a tire that crawled out of the hole, and if a tire ever looked mean it was this tire. It seemed to be alive and crawling straight out of the pits of hell. It was humming with energy. Next came an all motorcycle black body with ghost flames down the sides. My eyes were popping out of my head as I watched this thing claw up from the street. It was the wickedest bike I had ever seen and I was scared to get on it, but Nico swung his legs over the side of the bike and slapped on his skull helmet.

Now I could believe he was the son of Hades. That bike was radiating some kind of black energy and it was making my nose itch and my skin was screaming to tear away from my body and run down the block. "Unless you want to be puppy food you better get on." He warned me.

I heard the loudest growl and bark coming from above my head. That was all I needed to hear. I yelped and jumped behind him on the bike. He handed me a helmet. "Safety first." I strapped it on and he revved the engine.

I thought we were going to streak down the street, but instead the bike jumped straight into the air and took off like a gun shot. I squeezed my eyes shot and held onto Nico like grim death. And yes I did intend that pun, thank you very much.

I prayed that I wasn't going to die.

The wind was whipping through my hair, and I cursed myself for forgetting to tie it up. It already looked like a rat's nest I was never going to get a comb through it after this. He let out a little laugh; he was enjoying this a little too much for my taste.

I opened my mouth to tell him off, but the wind snatched my voice and I just clamped my mouth shut and tucked my head into his back. I don't know how long we were on that bike, it seemed like an eternity.

When I thought I just couldn't take anymore it felt like we were going to land and I sighed in relief. We landed at the top of a hill and it looked like we were in the country. There weren't any other houses around and the hill was overlooking a huge valley.

I stepped off the bike and immediately fell over. My body was done. Nico rushed to my side and helped me to stand. His hands were ice cold. "Welcome to Half Blood Hill," he said with a giggle in his voice. I tried to push away from him. My life was turning inside out and he was having too good of time. I could walk on my own but I was too weak. "The shadow bike takes a while to get used to sorry I had to use it. But you couldn't shadow travel. That would have made you throw up your spleen and Mrs. O'Leary is in labor." He explained helping me stagger across the hill.

I had no idea where we were but I hoped there was a bed at the end. And now as a good time to pass out and that's just what I did.


	3. Meeting with the gods

I was standing on top of a mountain. The fresh air was running my skin raw it was so crisp and so clean. I had never smelled air so clean. It filled my lungs and wormed down to my toes. The sun was beaming and it felt good on my skin. I looked down at myself and I was naked! What. I looked around frantically looking for something to throw on myself, and to make sure no one was trying to sneak a peek. But I was standing on a mountaintop.

"Do you marvel at it," came a voice that sounded like slow honey pouring over a warm biscuit. I turned and was so stunned at what I saw I staggered back a few paces. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Like I idiot I nodded yes to her. I couldn't even find my voice to speak to her. She was glowing, like literally glowing, but if you asked me what color her skin was I couldn't tell you. It was the color of everything. It was the color of chocolate on a cold winter's night. It was the sheen of a dolphin falling out of a ariel jump back into the ocean. She smiled at me and I felt like a little girl crawling into my mom's arms during a really bad rainstorm. I was amusing her and to my bewilderment I liked it. I wanted to please her. She turned from me to look out over the mountain we were standing on. A bird fluttered down and landed on her outstretched hand. "It took me a long time to make this one." she whispered something to the bird and it tweeted and flew off. "Do you know who I am?" she asked finally turning back to look at me. I had no idea who she was and I shook my head. "It is no matter that you can not name me, you already know me. You are me." I didn't know what she was saying but I felt like I did know her. That I knew exactly who she was. "I bore it all child. Everything from my womb. Even you." she smiled.

Then it clicked in my mind. "Gaea," I whispered. She giggled again and I felt the Earth under my feet warm as if the laughter of its mother was soothing to it. "Am I dead?" I asked.

"No, Dillon you are not. After I bore Typhon I vowed never to return to the deep places of the Earth." It sounded like it pained her to not be traipsing around in the pits of hell or the Underworld. "This is my resting place for I have been asleep since the dawn of the Olympians Dillon." My heart leapt every time she said my name.

I walked slowly toward her. I had never been in the presence of a goddess before. I didn't even know if you called the mother of all gods just a mere goddess. "Are you awake?" I asked her as a sat down at her feet and looked up at her. I could gaze at her for eternity.

She seemed to sit down on air. "In a sense I have always been awake, but no in the human sense I still slumber. I wanted to meet you child." Her hand reached down and I stopped breathing. She caressed my cheek. I gasped. It felt like the sun warming me in the middle of the summer. It felt like the crunch of the Earth when I'm walking barefoot through the woods. It was the most incredible feeling in the world I wanted to cry when she pulled her hand back. "But I fear our time for now is up," she stood up and in a flash so bright her image was burned into the back of my eyelids she was gone and I was nearly jumping up and out of a bed I didn't remember falling asleep in.

"Whoa," said a voice and soon hands followed the voice trying to pull me back into the bed. I swing out and connected with someone's face. "OW! Damnit!" they swore and let go. A light flipped on and Nico's bone white face was glaring at me. "What in the name of Tarturus was that for?" he growled rubbing his eye which was turning a ugly shade of blue.

I hide my smile as I started towards him. He moved back away from me. "I'm sorry. You just scared me and..." I looked around the room. "Where are we?" I had apologized that was all he was getting out of me.

"This is the camp I was telling you about. You passed out when we crossed the border." he explained pulling the shade so I could peek outside.

"How long was I out." I felt like I could still use a few more hours sleep.

"Maybe 5 hours," he rubbed at his face again and I noticed he wasn't wearing that black sword of his. "Come on Chiron wants to talk to you and I'm guessing Eris will want to meet you." the way he said the last name it sounded like him and this Eris person weren't friends.

When I moved to follow him thats when I felt the breeze on my back and I looked down at myself. I was in my underwear! "You could have told me I was naked!" I shouted at Nico as I wrapped the blanket around myself looking for my clothes.

He turned around, smirking. "You could have asked. I'll wait outside." He laughed and closed the door as he slipped out. If I were white my whole body would have been bright red. I looked around the small room for my clothes. They were hanging in the closet. I snatched at them as I thought about Nico undressing me and looking at me. I slid on my black tunic dress and laced up my thigh boots. I slipped my earrings on and yanked open the door. Nico was leaning against the frame of another door just smirking at me. "Follow me," he pushed off the door and headed down a long hallway. I had no choice but to follow him. We walked down some stairs and out the front door. I shielded my eyes from the harsh glare of the sun. we were standing on a long, expansive porch and at the end of it was a man in a wheelchair and a slender woman with the wickest scowl on her face. They both looked up at me. I felt like shoving Nico into the wall as I turned and glared at him.

"Leave her be Enyo," the woman turned and glared at the man in the wheelchair. He rolled from under the table where they were playing chess and wheeled over to me. The woman swept her hand across the chess board knocking over all the pieces.

"What's your problem?" I asked her. Clearly she had attitude and I was the right one to have it with. I didn't like taking crap from over grown brats. She grinned at me and let out a little giggle. It sounded weird coming from her lips. It was so feminine and she looked so...not feminine. Man I needed to pick up that SAT prep book again. My vocab sucked.

She stood up and followed in the wake of the wheelchair guy. "I think I'm going to like you little sister." I had no idea what she was talking about.


	4. Confusion to Swordplay

I just stared at all of them, "What the hell is going on here!" I shouted I had had enough. This was all crazy and no one was really telling me anything. They all just looked at me like I was the crazy one.

The wheelchair guy pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit, "You want to be sitting for this." He smiled and it did relax me a bit but the way that woman was just grinning at me still keep my nerves on high alert. "Nico I think Mrs. O'Leary could use a walk." Nico looked like he wanted to do anything else but walk some dog, but frankly I was still pissed that he had been gawking at me and I didn't want to be near him just now. He took the cue and hopped over the railing and jogged off somewhere. I sat down and folded my arms across my chest and waited for someone to start talking. Enyo sat down and propped her legs up on the table. She was wearing a totally black, leather catsuit. I thought only strippers wore outfits like that. The thought made me smirk. "Oh well Dillon I guess Nico told you a little bit?" he posed it as a question, I hated when adults did that. Posed a statement as a question, a question they already knew the answer too.

"Can you please just explain this to me. Yeah my mom told me some stuff but then something big and very pissed off charged down the front door to my house. So she may have left some things out," I was trying to keep the attitude out of my voice, but it wasn't working too well. Enyo chuckled again and I had to resist rolling my eyes at her.

"Well my dear sister what your mom told you was true. The Olympians are alive and well. They sit on their thrones and sometimes they take a liking to a mortal and then well we all know how that ends up. And your father, who just happens to be my dear old dad as well is the greatest of them all." I knew she was being sarcastic, but it sort of felt good to hear my dad being described that way.

I kept my arms folded tightly across my chest however, "So he's know I've been here the entire time?" I asked. "And you're my sister? So who the hell are you?" My mom would have kicked me under the table for using language like that, but at times like these that was my reaction.

Chiron's eyes softened at my question. "Well Dillon the gods are very busy and its hard to be a proper parent when you have the universe to keep in balance," I didn't want to hear any of that, so I turned away from him.

Enyo looked at me. She didn't look any older than me but looking into the depths of her eyes I felt like I was looking into the eyes of someone who had seen more than their years betrayed, a flame flickered across her blue eyes. "Hmm, who am I indeed?" she mused. "I have been called many names over the years, but I am Enyo. Daughter of Zeus. Goddess of war." she announced.

"Yeah right. Ares is the god of war why would he need you?" I shot back.

The wheelchair guy looked at me. "Um Dillon its not wise to provoke a god." he sounded just like a parent.

"No Chiron let the girl speak her mind. I love a girl with moxie. Queen Mary had that same fire in her eyes." she smiled.

"My dear Enyo as I recalled they named her Bloody Mary in the end." Chiron countered.

"Semantics. No one ever appreciates a strong woman these days. Anyways Dillon, sure my dumbbell of a brother is the god of war, but he lacks finesse and overall general style. So when Hera popped me out Zeus gave me the job as well. I mostly get the pleasure of destroying cities and leading the charge into battle, but everyone always sees fit to give my brother all the credit. As if he could have came up with the Trojan Horse." She leaned back in her chair and started picking at her fingernails with a jeweled dagger. "Plus I look better in full battle armor than he does," I heard thunder rolling somewhere. Enyo looked up at the sky. "Oh keep your shirt on alright."

"So if you are the goddess of war," I used my air quote fingers when I said the word goddess. I had never heard of her, so how did I know she was telling the truth. "Why are you here at a kid's camp?" the air around me crackled with energy. Enyo's eyes lost their color and flames actually snaked around the corners of her eyes.

"Because some people don't appreciate artistry," she snapped. "And you would do well little sister to remember I have brought down mighty empires with nothing more than a smile." Power and heat radiated from her, but she wasn't scaring me. I grew up in Brooklyn, I had beaten up girls scarier than her.

"You are here because you destroyed parts of China and Twain, and you bribed Triton to help you do it. That is why Zeus sent you here as punishment." Chiron said. Enyo rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Again, semantics." She leaned bak in her chair and seemed to calm down.

"What Enyo has told you about her father and yours too it seems is correct. You are the result of a mortal mother and a god. A half-blood. A very powerful one I wager. But your scent was becoming to strong and it was too dangerous to allow you to stay with your mother. So that is why we sent Nico to fetch you." he explained.

"So who is Nico's dad?" I asked. I couldn't remember if he told me or not. I have a problem paying attention to things or people I didn't care about.

"Oh so you assume only the gods have children?" Enyo demanded. Ok she was really starting to piss me off. What had I done to her? It took all those calming techniques I learned in that fancy private school to keep me from blowing up at her.

Chiron seemed to notice that me and Enyo were about to get into a huge girl fight and he cleared his throat. "He is the son of Hades," I pulled my eyes away from Enyo who looked like she was itching for me to really provoke her. Hmm, woman on a power trip were all the same, and with that I wrote Enyo off. I didn't like it when people tried to push me to do something they wanted me to do. If she wanted a fight she could go pick it with someone else. "I think that is enough for today. Dillon if you want sword practice is starting soon you can join in if you want. Toby here can show you the way." he gestured to a boy that had been sitting at the far end of the porch whom I had totally ignored. He stood up and a nearly jumped through the roof of the porch. His bottom half was covered in fur and where he should have had feet were a pair of hooves. I mean like regular cow hooves. "Its alright Dillon Toby is a satyr." Chiron explained to me. Like that was supposed to calm me down and make me feel better. The little guy looked like he was 9 or 10, almost as tall as I was. Not that I'm the tallest person in the world. It sucks being 13 and shorter than a 10 year old. He trotted over to me and smiled.

"Oh ok," I forced a smile. I wasn't rude all the time after all. He clomped down the stairs and I just followed. Wasn't anything else I could do and Enyo was starting to give me a headache, she really was. It didn't look like any camp I had been to. There was a huge open pavilion in the center of the place with a field of strawberries off to the side. Now a girl could get used to fresh strawberries and cream at night, but instead of log cabins with different names there was a collection of buildings in a U shape with a bunch of other buildings around it. I guess the ones that made up the U were the important ones or something. "Er um is there someplace I can show I feel really icky," Toby turned and looked at me, and I swear he looked like one of those fat little angels, cherubs, that's the word. Well except he wasn't fat.

He pointed off to a low building off to the side, "Those are the bathrooms and showers,"

I stopped short, "You mean we have community baths?" I asked as if that were the craziest thing I had heard today. He nodded and I groaned, then he chuckled and turned and kept going. I tried to take in as much as I could and some of the other kids were stopping, staring and then they started whispering. We entered a stadium like open arena and there were some kids already practicing with each other and a few dummies there were set up.

"Here you go. If you need something just ask one of the trees and they will come and find me," he smiled all puppy like and trotted off before I could ask what the hell he meant. I turned and found everyone staring at me. I walked over slowly wishing everyone would stop looking at me like I was a freak or something, it did occur to me that I was one of the few black kids in the place.

A really tall kid with brown hair and sea green eyes was watching me. He looked about 19 or 20, he had sunned tanned skin like he spent all his time laying out on the beach, but he didn't look like a weathered leather handbag because of it either. He was sort cute in a 'opps I can be cute when I shower' sort of way. He sheaved his sword and stuck out his hand, "You must be Zeus' kid." he grinned and it did relax the tight knot that had formed in the pit of my stomach. I grabbed his hand and gave it a firm shake but I also gave him a nasty static shock. He snatched his hand back waving it in the air like it was on fire. "Yikes. Yeah you're Zeus' kid." he chuckled.

"I'm sorry. I do that a lot." I didn't mean to, its not like its something I can control. He waved his hand like it was alright.

"Its ok I got used that from Thalia. I guess she would be one of your sisters. I'm Percy Jackson." he introduced himself. "Son of Poseidon." I nodded.

"Dillon Parker, um daughter of Zeus. At least that's what everyone keeps telling me." a few girls leaned over and started whispering. I tried to keep from rolling my eyes. "So um the wheelchair guy told me to come out here and practice with you guys." I wanted to keep myself from getting really pissed at everyone staring and whispering about me so I might as well do something physical.

"Well we just finished up but we're playing capture the flag tomorrow night. You're welcome to join our team." he shrugged. I thought that was really nice seeing as how I had just met him.

"Oh thanks, but I don't think I would be that much help. I'm the worst kid at dodgeball." I heard a few snickers. But whoever it was started heading up the stairs to go do whatever it was they did during the day.

"So if you want you can go with me to the Athena cabin and I can introduce you around to everyone." He picked up his shield and touched a button in the center and is twisted around till it became a wrist watch.

"Um maybe later. I just need."

"To be alone for a while?" he finished for me. I smiled and nodded. Yeah I just needed time to process all of this and just wrap my head around it. "Well my cabin is to the left of yours so just drop in." he gave me a little playful punch on the shoulder and then trotted up the steps, before he disappeared he turned and looked at me. "The beach is a great place for thinking and just generally getting some alone time." he pointed off into the trees and I nodded.


	5. Daddy Day Camp

It was starting to get late and the sun had started to sink below the tree line. But I plunged into the waiting forest. I had never been one to shy away from something scary. My mom was an extreme sports junkie after all, and she had always told me to conquer my fears. So a scary forest looming over me wasn't going to send me running home to my mom.

I followed the path his finger had indicated. The trees were enormous. They soared into the heavens, and then some weren't any bigger than I was, and I was rather short for my age. Once or twice it looked like a girl was walking out of some of the trees, but I didn't stop to ask questions. I just really needed to be alone right now and I wasn't up for the whole 'you're Zeus' kid' conversation.

This was all just too much and worst of all I didn't have my mother to talk to about this. The whole time she had known who my dad was and she never told me. All the questions I asked that she dodged. I pushed back trees and bushes as I stumbled through the forest thinking about the avalanche that was my life right now. 48 hours ago the biggest worry I had was my Algebra test, and now apparently I was a half blood and Zeus' kid as everyone keeps calling me. Finally I broke through the trees and almost landed face first in the sand. "At least my clumsiness hasn't changed," I grumbled as I steadied myself. The tangy taste of the sea landed on my tongue and it did sort of make me smile. I wasn't one for the water but it did had a calming sort of effect and the internal jumble going on in my head slowed down. I took in the slowly setting sun and I plopped down in the sand and wrapped my arms around my knees.

"Do you like sunsets?" I didn't bother looking up it was probably that wheelchair guy again, but I head the sand shifting like someone was walking and I looked up. It was a tall man dressed like a CEO in a pinstriped suit. He had a strong face with shockingly white hair and a close cut white beard. I was going to tell him to buzz off because he was a creepy pedophile or something when his eyes stopped me. They were electric blue, mine were a warm brown, but I could see lightening flicking across them every few seconds. I always thought something was wrong with my eyes or that I wasn't seeing what I was seeing when I looked in the mirror and my eyes did that. The man smiled and sat down right beside me.

My voice caught in my throat, but I managed to croak, "Dad."

The man smiled at him and nodded. "So do you like sunsets?" he repeated as he turned to look out across the water.

I couldn't stop looking at him. He was real; he was sitting right next to me. My dad. "I always liked thunderstorms actually," I whispered. He turned to look at him.

"Why is that?" he asked.

I shrugged slowly. "It makes me smile," I never understood why it did but now that I know that I'm Zeus kid it makes sense.

"Do you remember your ninth birthday?" I nodded. My mom had taken m sky diving for the first time for a birthday present. "That spectacular lightening show that happened?" Again I nodded. It was on all the news reports because it was so unusual. People claimed they had seen the lightening forming shapes in the sky. Me and mom had lay out on the runway and just watched it. "I wanted to do something special for you. I know I wasn't around to celebrate with you or your mother but I wanted you to know that I was thinking of you." It seemed like he was shy or something, but his words were melting my heart. I wanted to lash out and scream at him that a stupid lightening show wasn't going to make up for him never being there, and for him leaving my mom the way he did.

None of that came out, "That was for me?" a tear rolled down my face.

"I know it hasn't been easy for you Dillon with me gone, but you must know what I loved you from day one. When I saw you lying in that hospital with your little thumb in your mouth I loved you. And your mother is a queen among woman." Somewhere off in the distance thunder rolled. He looked up at the sky. "Among mortal woman," he corrected. He stopped talking and just looked over the ocean once again. "It is pretty if you like that sort of thing." He gestured toward the water with a wave of his hand. I smiled. I could see how I was more like him than my mother. I had a short attention span, whereas my mom could sit with a alternator in her hand and tinker for hours. He stood up. "I have to get going Dillon." He held out his hand for me and I took it. He pulled me up so fast my feet left the ground for a second. "Oh sorry about that." He chuckled. He set me down and took a final look at me. "Know that I love you and you are my daughter." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes so I could remember the feeling. When I opened them his was gone and my face was moist from my silent tears.

I had met my father and he loved me.


	6. Brick Wall

I stumbled through the forest. I just wasn't the most graceful of creatures and the with the buzz of my dad's voice in my head it was making it hard for me to concentrate on where to put my feet. And I just wasn't wearing forest stomping shoes. I didn't want to get my brand new Chuck Taylor's dirty. I loved sneakers. A twig snapped as my foot came down on it hard and once again I stumbled against a tree. "Damn it," I muttered under my breath.

"Language dear sister," a voice snickered in the darkness and I whirled around to face Enyo. Who was perched in the crook of a tree wearing black skinny jeans and a ripped t-shirt. It was uncanny how perfect she looked. I popped my hands on her my hips and looked at her. She snickered again and jumped down from the tree. "How was the little family reunion?" she asked as she pulled a twig out of my hair. I wanted to swat her hand away but I was very aware she could kick my butt all the way to Tartarus. I was not going to stand there and tell her my personal feelings about meeting my dad for the first time. That was personal so I just continued to look at her but I folded my arms across my chest to drive my silent treatment home. "Well Dillon. I wouldn't put too much stock in that. We gods are a fickle people." she picked at a piece of invisible lint from her t-shirt. "Don't get me wrong we love our children. That is a fact. I've got 7 sons and I love them all dearly, but then we get distracted by something cosmic and we forget about them." she shrugged. But I could see she meant what she said about loving her sons, which yeah her having kids just freaked me out beyond belief. "Did you know that are dear father killed Nico's mom, well he was trying to kill Nico and his sister, but got mommy dearest instead," she said it so it so nonchalantly. That it took me a minute to even register what she had said. "I don't say that to turn you against Zeus, but I just want you to go into this with your eyes wide open. Gods have a tendency to use heroes." And with that she shimmered and the night air folded around her and she was gone.

Though I hated her with every fiber of my being at least she knew the way out. And now I was alone in a strange forest with no idea how to get out. I turned around and headed back in the direction I thought was the way back to wherever it was I needed to be.

"Need a guide?" And I nearly jumped up a tree.

"Don't you people have better things to do!" I shouted rounded on Nico as he seemed to step out of a tree. "Make a sound or something," my irritation dissipated as he seemed contrite at having scared the daylights out of me. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell." He shrugged and swept his hand back. I nodded and headed in that direction. My heartbeat was slowing down as we walked and it was nice to just be quiet. This day had just been almost too much for me and all I wanted was to fall into a nice warm bed and sleep till Kim Kardashian wasn't famous anymore.

"Its a lot to take in," he finally said.

I looked at him in the dark. Which was a mistake a thin branch whipped across my face. "OW!" I yelped as tears sprang to my eyes. My hands rubbed furiously at my eyes. "Does coordination come with being Zeus kid?" I asked when my vision finally cleared Nico had a pleased expression on his face, but it was pretty funny and I let him off the hook. Plus I was just too tired to get upset.

He handed me a handkerchief and I finished wiping my face and we stepped out of the forest back into the wide open space of the camp. We were in the middle of a open air pavilion with tables and benches lined up. The night air was chilling and my hoodie just wasn't keeping me warm. Nico much have seen the action because he shrugged out of the leather jacket he was wearing and handed it to me. "Thanks," I slipped it on and I shivered. The jacket was colder than the air.

"Oh sorry. My body runs colder-" he started to say.

"Because your dad is the lord of the dead," I finished for him. He laughed and nodded his head. We headed across the grassy area toward where I hoped was home. There were a collection of cabins shaped into a U with other cabins scattered around like a big kid dumped a bucket of legos around the place. They were on one side of a peaceful looking lake.

"That's you in the front." He explained pointing to a large white cabin that seem to suck all the brightness from the other buildings. It was at the head of the U. The two at the front were huge marble boxes. They felt cold but at this point I was too tired to care.

I nodded my head as if I understood perfectly all that was happening to me. "I heard what happened to your mom," I said softly. If you asked me today what made me say that I couldn't tell you.

But Nico's reaction was instant. He whirled at him his eyes black with rage and his hand dropped to that black sword he kept at his hip. "Don't you ever-" the darkness around him rippled and I screamed. Yeah it was a girly thing to do but you weren't standing there in front of a pissed off child of Hades about to turn you into Dillon sushi. The color returned his eyes as he saw that he was scaring me but I turned and ran. I wanted to get away from him before he stuck me with that little sword. "Dillon!" he shouted after me but I didn't care. My mother always told me never to be a fool and sticking around with Nico in the dark with his black eyes and his black sword was a foolish thing to do.

I ran as fast as I could and I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I just wanted to put enough distance between myself and Nico and I ran smack into someone and I went flying backwards and landed hard on my butt and my head. Whoever it was didn't get a soft landing either. I heard them groan and I groaned as well. "Did you get the license plate of that truck?" whoever it was moaned as they pushed themselves up into a sitting position. I did the same and found myself looking at Percy. "What in Poseidon's name got into you?" he asked with a slight chuckle as he sprang lightly to his feet. Was everyone graceful but me? He walked over and held out his hand to me. Which I accepted gratefully. He pulled me to my feet slowly.

"I'm sorry Percy," I was still a little bit shaken. And now I could add pain to my long list of things I didn't like about today. I gave him a look that told him I wanted to be alone right now.

"Seriously what's wrong?" Usually when I gave people that look they left me alone. But I guess Percy wasn't like other people.

I shrugged, which made me wince. Percy was built like a brick wall and thats what it felt like when I slammed into him. "This is just a little much for me," I managed to get out. I looked around and found that once again I was totally lost.

Percy nodded. "You've had a better time of it then I did." He wrapped his arm around my waist and helped me limp off toward I hoped was the direction of Zeus' cabin. He was silent for a few seconds. "It does seem like we dump a lot on you, but we're a kid of the Big Three. We have a lot on our plates and you needed to get to camp before you got yourself killed." The way he explained it to me it made perfect sense. Get to camp or die. Why couldn't everyone else just say it like that. "Take it from me it doesn't get any easier from here," we stopped walking and I looked up and we were standing in front of cabin number 1. The golden number gleamed in the twinkle of the night. "Get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow," he smiled and left me standing before the door to my new home. Well at least for now.


	7. First Kiss with the Dead

It was just too much for me to turn around and thank Percy, and when I chastised myself to turn around and do it he was gone. I would find him later and thank him, but I was glad that he left me alone to get to sleep. This had just been too much for me and I needed some down time before I went nuts and burned down a building or something. And my boots were begging to be unlaced.

My mind was just on auto-pilot and I needed some sleep so I could process all of this. I pushed open the heavy door and walked into the cabin and looked around. I wasn't sure what I was really expecting, but this certainly wasn't it. It looked like a tricked out loft space, which made me smiled. I really liked lofts. They were so New York. It was just a large open space of a cabin without any walls separating the spaces. My eyes traveled up the walls, and I had to gasp. I just couldn't help myself, the roof was all glass. I almost fell over backwards craning my neck to look up and take in everything. I could look up into the heavens and hope my dad was looking down at me, well that was my secret wish. But I would never admit that to anyone.

When I finally gat my equilibrium back and my neck wasn't throbbing I walked through the cabin, my boots making a strange and lonely echo throughout the whole place. The sleeping space was on one side toward the back of the cabin away from the doors and the noise and the living room set up with work spaces were on the other side toward the front. My luggage was on top of one of the beds. And Holy Zeus, they were queen sized beds. I smiled. They knew how to treat a kid of Zeus in this cabin. Maybe being his daughter wouldn't be so bad after all. I sat down on one of the couches and unlaced my boots and slipped them off. I was wearing my pink and black stripped knee high socks, for some reason they were my favorite pair of knees highs. It was a bit chilly in the cabin and thought it best to keep them on since the entire place was made out of marble which didn't look like the warmest stone. Though it was pretty.

I was still wearing Nico's jacket and I shrugged it off hanging it up on one of the eagle headed hooks by the door. I would give it to him later, or give it to someone else who could give it to him. I eased out of my t-shirt and pants, but I quickly rummaged through my luggage and found my Yankees men's shirt and slipped it over my head. The thing came down below my knees. I knew I was looking a tad ridiculous but I didn't care and besides no one else was there. I liked that but on the other hand I really wanted someone else to talk to. Someone else to just be there. I wasn't used to be totally alone. I plopped myself down on the bed I was going to use as my own and just as my head hit the pillow there was a soft knock at the door. "Who is it?" I called out not intending to get out of my bed for anything.

"Nico," came the soft reply. I bolted upright in my bed.

"What do you want?" I didn't know why I was scared, but I was. Nico didn't exactly make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

"Can I just come in? I could have just walked it but I thought I should ask first," he clipped. I frowned and leaned back against my pillow. If he wanted to act like a brat well I could be a brat too. I didn't say anything and I was hoping he would go away and leave me be, but I should have know better. After a few good moments the door swung open and he stepped into my cabin. He still had the wicked little black sword clipped to his waist. But he was wearing a white t-shirt over his black jeans and I gave him a sideways glance. He certainly looked better in white. I rolled over onto my side so that my back was to him. "You aren't going to make this easy are you?" he asked.

I shrugged and kept my face toward the wall. I heard him walking down the length of the cabin toward me, but I wasn't going to turn around and look at him. This was his show, he was the one that owed me an apology. And I was going to make him work for it. If that was what he was doing here. I felt his weight on the end of my bed and I dared a glance in his direction. He smirked when he caught me looking. "What do you want Nico," I asked moving my feet away from him.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have.." he sighed and leaned back on his elbows on my bed. "I shouldn't have lost my temper like that." he ended. That was it? I wasn't impressed and I rolled my eyes. "What?" he demanded.

"You were going to stick me with that sword that's what, and you just throw out an apology like I'm supposed to thank my lucky stars for that." I went to kick him off my bed and he dodged my feet grabbing ahold of my ankles. "Let me go," I said evenly. He smiled and shook his head.

He pulled my legs toward him till they were wrapped around his waist. My pulse quickened. Nico leaned forward till I could feel his breath on my cheek. I didn't move I wasn't even breathing. "Is this why we can't get along?" he whispered. He leaned closer to me and my heart started to race. His lips pressed softly against mine, and on reflex I gasped and my body relaxed. His tight arms wound around my waist and pulled me closer to him as the kiss deepened. I don't now how long we were sitting there kissing put I finally broke us apart and pushed against Nico's chest. We were both breathing hard like we had just run the Boston Marathon or something.

"Why did you kiss me?" I asked him. I scooted back away from him as the closeness between us was making me uncomfortable. He looked at him his eyes bright with the rush of what we had just done.

"Because I wanted to, and if memory serves me. You." he pointed at me. "Kissed me back," he smiled. I didn't know what to say. I did kiss him, but only after he had kissed me. Let's get that straight I didn't intend to kiss him at all. And for my first kiss it was good. I was blushing down to my toes and he could see that and he chuckled as he got off the bed and stood up looking down at me. "I did only come to apologize though."

I nodded. I didn't want to think that he had just wandered over to make the moves on me. That would turn my stomach and I might have tried to strangle him with his leather jacket. "That was my first kiss," I told him softly.

He sat back down. "It was mine too. When you're dad is Lord of the Dead you don't date much." he mused as he played with my little toe. "After you fainted in the parking lot and I had to take you home. I sat with you in your room. I never felt a life force like yours. It radiated off you. Since I found out who I really was I haven't been able to keep up my body temperature you know. But when I was in that room with you. I could feel myself almost sweating and I don't know." He stopped talking and looked at me. "I want to be around you Dillon." Well that wasn't what I was expecting to hear, but I'm glad he didn't say something silly like he loved me. That would have freaked me out totally.

I took a deep breath, "Nico I..." he cut me off.

"No you don't have to say anything right now." He got off the bed and walked back toward the door. "And you can keep my jacket." I nodded, he turned and gave me a small smile and then slipped out of the door. It closed with a soft click. I leaned back down on my pillow and tried to get some sleep.

That was another thing that didn't happen as I planned.

I felt a soft breeze rustling my hair and I opened a blurry eye and the sun almost blinded me. I heard a soft chuckle and I pushed myself up to a sitting position. "You've come to see me again." Her voice woke me up completely and I stood. She was sitting in a grove of trees. Birds were swooping in and out of the trees, tweeting softly and just seeming to enjoy being in Gaea's presence. I knew how they felt. I felt myself smiling as I gathered up the gossamer gown that I found myself wearing. Zeus I really hoped I was at least wearing some boy shorts underneath. The grass was as soft as down feathers as I walked over to her. She motioned for me to sit and I sat cross legged in front of her. Her head tilted to one side as she looked at me. "Something has changed." she stated simply. Her deep brown eyes seemed to peer straight through me. With anyone else that would have felt like an invasion of my privacy, but with Gaea I could feel the love that her look was giving me. "Ahhh. The first touch of love. Always so noticeable." she chuckled again and the birds started to tweet louder. I knew I was blushing because I could feel the heat from my cheeks. "Don't be ashamed. Love has brought down mighty empires. We all fall victim to it," she said softly and I felt the despair in her voice. I wanted to reach out to her. "No matter. So young Dillon did you enjoy meeting your father?" she seemed to really care how my meeting with Zeus went.

I nodded struggling to find my voice. "Yes," I managed to squeak out. "Why couldn't he come see me when I was growing up?" I asked her. It seemed I would get a better answer out of her than asking him.

She seemed to consider the question before she spoke. "It was never intended for gods to take human lovers. But I guess they grew tired of one another." She took a breath and thought better of that line of thinking. "Humans have short and harsh lives, so their relationships become to meaningful to them. Its a cruel thing for gods to have human children. You don't understand their absence and its painful to not know of your father or mother. And when you finally meet them you are so willing to do all that they ask just to seek their approval and get more time with them." I wasn't sure I agreed with her. "I am sorry that Zeus was not the father you deserved Dillon. I'm sorry he wasn't the husband your mother deserved. It wasn't supposed to be this way." Something in her voice wasn't so reassuring anymore. "Sleep child," she blew me a kiss that smelled of springtime and summer lemonade and I felt my eyes closing.


	8. Refresh and Resolve

I woke up earlier than I intended to, and that really irked me. I'm the sort of person that likes to sleep in and with all the crap I had dealt with I couldn't just sleep in? I could tell this was going to be another whopper of a day.

I grumbled and said a few words my mom would have grounded me for, rolled over and sat up in the bed. A few clouds parted and the sun shone down into the cabin. It wasn't a unpleasant feelings, but it did help my foul mood. A little.

But thinking of that kiss that Nico planted on me did sort of make me smile. Well no it definitely made me smile. Sun was poring in from the clear roof now as I had sat in the bed for a few minutes which turned into almost an hour. It would have bothered me but looking up into the heavens it felt like my dad was looking down at me. I know it was stupid he was probably off being all Zeus like and ordering people around but a girl had to have her fantasies right? After all I grew up never knowing I actually had a dad and I got to meet him last night.

As I thought of my dad I got out of bed and found my bathroom things. I really hated sharing a bathroom but I guess there was nothing I could do about that. Hmm, maybe I could use my Zeus' kid power and get my own bathroom. Now, that was a plan I could get behind. I giggled to myself as I pushed open the door to my cabin. Walking outside I realized once again I had no idea where I was going. I looked up and down the rows of cabins trying to se if I could just follow someone, but it looked like I was the last kid up and everyone else had started their days already. Great, so that meant I had missed breakfast. I sighed and resigned myself to wondering around looking for the showers.

"So you're Zeus' kid?" a female voice asked me. I turned around and found the source of the question. It was a real beefy girl with hair the color of dirty dishwater. She looked like she kicked butt for a living, and enjoyed it. Oh great, the welcome committee.

"The name's Dillon," I told her cooly. She was giving off enough attitude for the both of us, but I'm from Brooklyn we don't take attitudes from anyone. She was wearing South Park pj bottoms and a red muscle t-shirt which looked at home on her muscled arm. Geez didn't any of the chicks around here like braid hair and did their nails or something? Did all of them work out and stab things?

I could see the muscles in her neck tensing, "Just because you're a kid of the big three doesn't mean you go mouthing off to just anyone," she growled. She took a step toward me and I stood my ground my eyes flashing as she advanced on me. She must have seen the lightening skip across my irises because she stopped in her tracks as if she wanted to say something snarky, but she thought better of it.

She grinned as if I had passed some sort of test. "Clarissa. Ares cabin." she said as a way of an introduction. She jammed her hand out and I was forced to shake it. She nearly crushed my hand and my eyes swam with the force. Was there a weight room class here or something? I was starting to feel real inadequate all of a sudden. "Good to see another girl with some balls around. We got enough twits in the Aphrodite cabin." I had to giggle at that. At least I knew who to go to for a manicure.

"So you're dad is the god of war?" I asked.

She nodded and the muscles in her neck rippled again just for good measure. "Yep." I nodded, it wouldn't be a good idea to tell her he was my favorite god growing up. Seeing as how my dad was his dad and Enyo seemed to hate me already.

"So um does that make me your aunt?" I asked. This was starting to get confusing.

She chuckled, all big a beefy, just like a boy. "Not in the Greek sense of things. If we weren't half breeds yeah you would be my aunt, but thank the gods that ain't true. If you're looking for the can its the other way," she jerked her thumb back behind her toward the direction of the bathrooms. I nodded and turned to walk towards the bathrooms, "Hey capture the flag is tonight you got a team yet?" she asked. I turned back around to look at her.

"Percy said I could join him and the Athena cabin." I shrugged. It didn't really matter to me I had no idea what they were talking about anyways.

Clarissa nodded, "Then you're on my team. Meet by Zeus' fist after lunch." I nodded and she jogged off. Like I knew where Zeus' fist was. I went back on my hunt for the showers. Strangely Clarissa's little thumb jerk proved very helpful. My sense of direction was as bad as my algebra and that was saying something. I could hear the ringing of swords clashing and battle cries. These kids took the warrior stuff a little too far if you asked me. Good thing no one was asking me however.

I was the last one getting up, which was a good thing the showers were deserted and I liked it that way. At least the water would be hot again. I needed to just scrub and think things through. Something about being in a steamy shower with St. Ives Apricot scrub made everything all better. Bathroom time was a solitary activity for me and I always enjoyed taking my time. Much to my roommates annoyance, but me and Bre never got along. She was a natural born blue blood through and through and didn't like having to share her room with a scholarship kid. Especially not a scholarship kid who was smarter than her without trying who had a mother who was a grease monkey. Never mind my mom went to MIT, and never mind my mom could afford to pay for me but why should she when I got the scholarship? Not that I ever told Bre that. She made up her mind about me even before I moved in. I thought a nasty thought about her as I stepped into the showers.

I should have known they weren't going to be normal ones, but this was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting those gross open air deals with the single room with the shower heads lining the wall. Making being the smallest girl with no boobs even more embarrassing. Or basically a living hell. But these showers I could handle. All the cabins had their own bathrooms and I sure hoped that the Zeus bathrooms were decked out like the cabin was. I poked around in the other bathrooms. One looked like it was outside with grass growing on the ceilings and birds chirping here and there. That was a little weird so I kept going. Another one was painted blood red with barbed wire around the door frame. I stirred clear of that one and I finally found the Zeus bathroom and it looked like one of those Manhattan spas from the movies.

I couldn't hide the smile as I pushed open the door and walked in. It was all polished marble just like the Zeus cabin, there were shower rooms with doors. Hallelujah! I practically ran toward them, I snatched open the door and ducked inside and then I giggled at my antics. It wasn't like the place was buzzing with activity.

I stripped off my clothes and turned the water on full blast and as hot as I could stand it. The water beating down on my body felt good and it was loosening the knots of tension in my back and neck. It felt good. I leaned against the wall and let out a long, deep breath. And I just cracked, I slid down the wall and sat on the floor, wrapped my arms around my knees and had a good cry. Hey, I was allowed with everything that had happened to me in the last 24 hours. My entire world had been dumped into a blender and pulsed. I went in an apple and came out applesauce. It was a lot to take in. I don't know how long I stayed in that shower, but when I stepped out I felt like now I could take on anything. And if the last 24 hours was any indication I was going to need all the resolve I could muster.


	9. Rubber Duckie Time

I woke up earlier than I intended to, and that really irked me. I'm the sort of person that likes to sleep in and with all the crap I had dealt with I couldn't just sleep in? I could tell this was going to be another whopper of a day.

I grumbled and said a few words my mom would have grounded me for, rolled over and sat up in the bed. A few clouds parted and the sun shone down into the cabin. It wasn't a unpleasant feelings, but it did help my foul mood...A little. I was not a morning person at all, trust me when I tell you that.

But thinking of that kiss that Nico planted on me did sort of make me smile. Well no it definitely made me smile. Sun was poring in from the clear roof now as I had sat in the bed for a few minutes which turned into almost an hour. Did I mention I wasn't a morning person? Well I was a lazy morning person too. So add that to the list of my hang ups. But it would have bothered me with all the sun pouring in. That just screams "get up lazy and start your day," but looking up into the heavens it felt like my dad was looking down at me. I know it was stupid. He was probably off being all Zeus like and ordering people around but a girl had to have her fantasies right? After all I grew up never knowing I actually had a dad and I got to meet him last night. I think that was what was making me feel and act all sappy. That just wasn't my style.

As I thought of my dad, I got out of bed and found my bathroom things. I was surprised that all my things had found their to my cabin, but I guess those satyrs moved pretty fast. And I really hated sharing a bathroom but I guess there was nothing I could do about that. Hmm, maybe I could use my Zeus' kid power and get my own bathroom. Now, that was a plan I could get behind. I giggled to myself as I pushed open the door to my cabin. Walking outside I realized once again I had no idea where I was going. Why couldn't they have signs up or something? I looked up and down the rows of cabins trying to see if I could just follow someone, but it looked like I was the last kid up and everyone else had started their days already.

Great, so that meant I had missed breakfast. I sighed and resigned myself to wondering around looking for the showers.

"So you're Zeus' kid?" a gruff female voice asked me. I turned around and found the source of the question. It was a real beefy girl with hair the color of dirty dishwater. Ugh, and she looked like she kicked butt for a living, and enjoyed it. Oh great, the welcome committee.

"The name's Dillon," I told her cooly. She was giving off enough attitude for the both of us, but I'm from Brooklyn we don't take attitudes from anyone. She was wearing South Park pj bottoms and a red muscle t-shirt which looked at home on her muscled arm. Geez didn't any of the chicks around here like braid hair and did their nails or something? Did all of them work out and stab things?

I could see the muscles in her neck tensing, "Just because you're a kid of the big three doesn't mean you go mouthing off to just anyone," she growled. She took a step toward me and I stood my ground my eyes flashing as she advanced on me. She must have seen the lightening skip across my irises because she stopped in her tracks as if she wanted to say something snarky, but she thought better of it.

She grinned as if I had passed some sort of test. "Clarissa. Ares cabin." she said as a way of an introduction. She jammed her hand out and I was forced to shake it. She nearly crushed my hand and my eyes swam with the force. Was there a weight room class here or something? I was starting to feel real inadequate all of a sudden. "Good to see another girl with some balls around. We got enough twits in the Aphrodite cabin." I had to giggle at that. At least I knew who to go to for a manicure.

"So you're dad is the god of war?" I asked.

She nodded and the muscles in her neck rippled again just for good measure. "Yep." I nodded, it wouldn't be a good idea to tell her he was my favorite god growing up. Seeing as how my dad was his dad and Enyo seemed to hate me already.

"So um does that make me your aunt?" I asked. This was starting to get confusing.

She chuckled, all big and beefy, just like a boy. "Not in the Greek sense of things. If we weren't half breeds yeah you would be my aunt, but thank the gods that ain't true. If you're looking for the can its the other way," she jerked her thumb back behind her toward the direction of the bathrooms. I nodded and turned to walk towards the bathrooms, "Hey capture the flag is tonight you got a team yet?" she asked. I turned back around to look at her.

"Percy said I could join him and the Athena cabin." I shrugged. It didn't really matter to me I had no idea what they were talking about anyways.

Clarissa nodded, "Then you're on my team. Meet us by Zeus' fist after lunch." I nodded and she jogged off. Like I knew where Zeus' fist was. I went back on my hunt for the showers. Strangely Clarissa's little thumb jerk proved very helpful. My sense of direction was as bad as my algebra and that was saying something. My dad was the Lord of the Skies and here I was wandering around like I didn't know my north from my south. Which I didn't and that was the upsetting part. I could hear the ringing of swords clashing and battle cries. These kids took the warrior stuff a little too far if you asked me. Good thing no one was asking me however.

I was the last one getting up, which was a good thing the showers were deserted and I liked it that way. At least the water would be hot again. I needed to just scrub myself and think things through. Something about being in a steamy shower with St. Ives Apricot scrub made everything all better. Bathroom time was a solitary activity for me and I always enjoyed taking my time. Much to my roommates annoyance, but me and Bre never got along. She was a natural born blue blood through and through and didn't like having to share her room with a scholarship kid. Especially not a scholarship kid who was smarter than her without trying. And a kid who had a mother who was a grease monkey. Never mind my mom went to MIT, and never mind my mom could afford to pay for me but why should she when I got the scholarship? Not that I ever told Bre that. She made up her mind about me even before I moved in. I thought a nasty thought about her as I stepped into the showers. That made me smile.

I should have known they weren't going to be normal ones, but this was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting those gross open air deals with the single room with the shower heads lining the wall. Making being the smallest girl with no boobs even more embarrassing. Or basically a living hell. But these showers I could handle. All the cabins had their own bathrooms and I sure hoped that the Zeus bathrooms were decked out like the cabin was. I poked around in the other bathrooms. One looked like it was outside with grass growing on the ceilings and birds chirping here and there. That was a little weird so I kept going. Another one was painted blood red with barbed wire around the door frame. I stirred clear of that one and I finally found the Zeus bathroom and it looked like one of those Manhattan spas from the movies.

I couldn't hide the smile as I pushed open the door and walked in. There was an actual dressing room with plush couches and fluffy robes hanging on golden pegs. The entire bathroom was all polished marble just like the Zeus cabin, and the shower rooms had doors. Hallelujah! I practically ran toward them, I snatched open the door and ducked inside and then I giggled at my antics. It wasn't like the place was buzzing with activity.

I stripped off my clothes and turned the water on full blast and as hot as I could stand it. There were several jets and I was like a kid in a candy store as I tried them all out. The steaming water beating down on my body felt good and it was loosening the knots of tension in my back and neck. It felt good.

I leaned against the wall and let out a long, deep, and slow breath. And I just cracked, I slid down the wall and sat on the floor, wrapped my arms around my knees and had a good cry. One of those teen movie snot fest cries too. Hey, I was allowed. With everything that had happened to me in the last 72 hours. My entire world had been dumped into a blender and pulsed. I went in an apple and came out applesauce. It was a lot to take in. I don't know how long I stayed in that shower, but when I stepped out I felt like now I could take on anything. And if the last 72 hours was any indication I was going to need all the resolve I could muster.

I toweled myself off and it felt good. A good scrub will do that for you. Now it was time to get down to business. I was here for a reason and it was time to find that out.


	10. First Fight

I put on my best bad girl outfit. I had to let everyone know that I wasn't one to mess with. I pulled on my blackest skinny jeans with a yellow fitted tee and my lace up converse. There I was ready for battle, well Brooklyn ready. I looked at my watch and groaned as I realized I had missed lunch now too. I was going to be an evil heifer by dinner time. I hated going hungry.

Walking around I could hear where everyone was gathered and it sounded like the open pavilion I passed last night stumbling out of the woods. At least I was learning my way around, that's what I was telling myself anyways. Everyone was just milling around the pavilion and they were all dressed in battle armor. Some were wearing helmet with red plumes and others had blue ones.

"Dillon," I turned toward the shout and saw Percy standing with a group of kids wearing blue helmets. Guess I was on the blue team, so I headed over to the group. "This is Annabeth," he pointed to a tall girl with grey eyes. I guess she was pretty if that was what you liked. She was standing with her hips cocked and her arms folded. She gave a good once over and I was just wondering if all the girls had chips on their shoulders. I saw Nico leaning against a tree and he gave me a small head nod. Well more like he stuck his chin out in my general direction. I took that as a hood greeting. You didn't grow up in Brooklyn without knowing the ghetto hand and body gestures.

Someone gave me a rough punch in the arm and I held back my yelp when Clarissa stepped into my view, "You ready?" she asked me with a broad grin on her face. I resisted reaching up and rubbing my now throbbing arm. I didn't think that would help with the silent menace I was trying to project.

I might have to ask Clarissa how she did it. Though I suspected she would first say it was because she was a daughter of the god of War. I nodded, and she turned to another beefy girl with black spiked hair and a arm full of tattoos. "Get Dillon some armor and a sword," the girl nodded and jogged off.

"Thanks Clarissa," I told her with a small smile and she stood behind me like she was my bodyguard. Well at least I felt better protected now then I did five minutes ago. I was tough I will tell anyone that but going up against some of those girls I didn't think my chances were good.

Percy clapped his hands, "So let's head over to Zeus' fist," everyone let out a big whoop and followed him into the woods. Everyone seemed to know the place like the back of their hands so it was an easy trek for them, but unfortunately for me I had no idea where we were going so I basically stumbled my way through the forest. Well as gracefully as I could anyways. Clarissa kept a good strong hand on my elbow. We finally made into a clearing in front of a jumble of rocks. Me and Clarissa were the last two out of the forest. And the girl Clarissa had sent out for my armor had even beat us. This was getting serious. She laid the armor at my feet and I just stared at it.

"I'll help her, Percy wants to talk to you," Nico said smoothly. Clarissa nodded and jogged over to Percy and that grey-eyed girl.

I put my hands on my hips, "So what do I do with all this stuff?" I asked Nico. He knelt at my feet and picked up what looked like long arm cuffs. He slid them on my arms. I knew what a breast plate was and this one was made of hardened leather. Like wearable beef jerky. He stood up and pressed the plate on my chest and reached around me to buckle it. If I didn't know any better I would say Nico was flirting with me but he didn't say a word or even catch my eye. He strapped me into my armor then handed my my helmet and a sword. The weight of the sword nearly pulled me off my feet. "What the hell am I going to do with this?" I asked looking at him. The thing felt like it weighed a hundred pounds.

There was no way I was going to be able to do anything with that thing, but everyone else had a sword. Even Nico drew his wicked black sword. Which he drew just to show off, but I caught the little smile before we both walked over to where Percy was holding court.

He gave me a quick smile, as he kneeled in the dirt and drew what I was gathering was a rough outline of the place where we were going to play capture the flag. "So I want Clarissa, Nico, Brant and Tyler here." He pointed to their positions with a stick and they each threw him a nod and jogged off into the forest. "Muhan, Zora, Arizona and Dallas I want you here, here and here. Everyone else, half of you take the perimeter and the rest just scatter." Again he pointed and those people jogged off. "Annabeth take the lead on the perimeter." She patted his head and ran off. He dusted off his pants and stood. "So Dillon I guess me and you got the flag. I'll take left and you go right. See anything with a red plume, don't let them near the flag." He said it like I really knew what I was doing.

"Um Percy is this real?" I asked. The question had been nagging at the back of my mind. I mean I was standing ina forest with battle armor, and a sword. Somehow I didn't think this was just for giggles.

He nodded, "Yeah so be careful. Just keep a look out. We've won this 6 straight times. Don't worry." he winked and then he was off like a shot into the gloom of the forest. I guess no one was a video game junkie around here.

It was several seconds and a high pitched whistle pierced the night.

It made my silver earrings vibrate and I actually felt the sensation down to my toes. It set my ears to humming and my ears twitched. I guess that was the signal to start and I could feel the movement in the forest. I felt like I should be doing something other than standing around wondering what to do.

I tried to walk and drag the sword but it was too heavy. There was a shout for off and it was followed by a sickening crunch. I dropped the sword and turned toward the noise, but as suddenly as it had happened it was over with.

That put me on high alert, but for the life of me I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to do. Or for that matter what I could do. Suddenly there was a lot of shouting and rustling in the woods. It sounded like a fierce fight and while my attention was drawn to the noise and commotion a figure jumped out of the woods and bolted straight for the flag. I couldn't do any fighting to stop them, but I could run them down and thats what I did. I took off like a bullet and made a beeline for the figure. They were running full pelt, but I was faster. I threw my tiny body at the person and down we both went. Since I was on top I threw all my weight into the tackle and I felt all the air whooshed out of the person as we landed hard. But whoever it was had a fighters reflexes and that momentary lapse didn't keep them down for long. We rolled and soon they were on top of me. I saw their fist raise and I saw it coming down toward my face. The anger rolled up from my feet, snaked up my spine and dumped in my mouth,"Oh. Hell No!" I shouted. With every word it felt like thunder rolled of my tongue and sucker punched the figure in the gut. One minute they were on top of me ready to pummel me and the next they were at least forty feet away and not moving. I scrambled up from the ground on shaky legs. I felt drained and light headed.

I had no idea what had just happened, and I didn't have the time to think the ring of trees around the clearing burst with bodies running. Red and blue plumes where everywhere and I saw a red plume break free and I was too far away to tackle them like I did the other one, and I frankly didn't know what I could do. Out of sheer desperation I threw my hands up to get someone's attention that a red plume was going to get our flag, and yes I had just finally realized what captured the flag meant, "No!" I shouted again and like a sonic boom the thunder knocked the figure over and over again and when the landed, they really landed and didn't move.

All the activity in the clearing stopped and everyone turned to stare at me.

Well that was just what I wanted. Another reason for everyone to look at me crazy. No one moved and frankly I was so tired I could barely stand and I swayed on my feet and before I could fall flat on my face Clarissa was at my elbow steadying me. "I got you." She was breathing hard and her face was smeared with blood. I hoped it wasn't hers.

There was a shout and a blue plume burst into the clearing waving a red flag and a jubilant cheer went up and I promptly passed out.

I wasn't sure how long I was out, but it felt good to be asleep. I was bone weary and didn't think I could move if I wanted to, but I opened a bleary eye and wish I hadn't. Enyo was sitting in a chair at the foot on my bed. And she was the last damn person, goddess or whatever I wanted to see.

"I must say I am impressed," she said blowing a fleck of nail polish off her fingernail. I tired to roll my eyes and my head swam and I sank bank further into the pillows. I caught the little smile on Enyo's lips. "I haven't seen a thunder clap from a hero in some time. Why I think Hercules was the only one." My ear twitched at the comparison to Hercules, which as it turned out was now my brother. Though he was dead and gone. She stood up, "You're training starts today. Something is brewing and I think we are going to need all the heros up and running." She winked and me and in a haze of red dust she winked out of sight.

The moment she was gone my room became a beehive of activity. Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Clarissa and a few other people I didn't know where crowded around my bed. They all looked supremely impressed, and I found that I was grinning a tad too.

"Damn girl," Clarissa said. "Got three kids of the Big Three on our team." she said proudly and she crossed her muscular arms over her chest. I saw Percy and Nico blushed slightly at the proclamation, but I was happy.

For the first time in my life, I had found people that accepted me. And I was liking the place I was fitting into. I wanted this feeling to last.


	11. Weapon of Choice

After the congratulations and smiles and nods everyone left the room to let me change. Thankfully I was in my Power Rangers nightgown. Otherwise they would have been treated to a black girl blushing down to her roots.

Someone had brought me a change of clothes since my other ones were covered in dirt and sweat from that little roll in the clearing.

I pulled on the shorts, which were getting a little on the short side. My mom would kill me if she saw how short they were. I went to pull up the zipper and I got the biggest static zap ever. It knocked me on my butt and my finger was smoking. "Hey!" I shouted glaring up at the ceiling. "Fine I will change when I get back to the cabin," I grumbled. That shock was at least a little reminder that he was sort of watching me and caring a little bit. I didn't want to get my hopes up on what our relationship would be. From what I heard from other kids they didn't see their godly parent, and a lot of them hadn't even meet their godly parent. I really hoped they at least had a mom like me. It might have just been me and her, but we made a great team.

After I shook off that little static charge and dusted off my butt I pulled a t-shirt over my head and pulled my braids away from my face. I needed to take my braids out, but that would have to be put on the back burner. I guess I had to get in my butt kicking mode. I took a few deep breaths and opened the door. Everyone was looking at me. "So Enyo said I had to start training." I said not really knowing where to start or what I had to do. They all nodded. Welcome to battle school. I gulped and hoped I didn't make a total idiot of myself.

"What were you good at in school?" Percy asked me. He seemed to be the one in charge all the time. Which I didn't have a problem with. Hell, I wanted to follow him into battle and I was scared to death. Though if you asked me if I was scared I would kick you in the shins. Brooklyn girls were never scared. But I did have to think about his question. I had to keep thinking about it. I wasn't a very physical sort of girl in school. I hated gym, I didn't play any sports. Truth be told I had never been in a physical fight in my life. They were all verbal and I had a slick tongue that could send anyone running home to mommy in tears. I had done it a few times. Hey I was the little girl in the group without a drop of body fat and no muscle. I couldn't get into a fist fight and hope the girl didn't hit me.

All my talents were mental. "Does calculus count?" I asked. They all looked at me. Well Annabeth sort of smiled at me.

"You would make a great daughter of Athena." she told me with a bob of her head. Well at least someone was valuing my mental prowess. At least that counted for something. "Can you do anything else?" she asked. I shook my head. This wasn't going so well. I didn't want them to get frustrated at me because that would piss me off and no one wanted to be around me when I was like that. "Well then we just need to see what you're good at then." Everyone nodded and we left the infirmary. Which as we walked on the porch I found was in the big house next to the strawberry fields. I stood and watched a few kids and those satyr people working in the fields. I could smell the strawberries. They were going to have a tough time keeping my hands out of those. Nothing like a bowl of fresh strawberries and a bowl of whipped cream and some hot chocolate. It was a staple for me and my mom's movie nights on Saturdays.

I had to scramble to catch up to the rest of the gang. They hadn't noticed I had hung back to look at those mouthwatering strawberries. We all trudged over the grounds. Percy and Annabeth were whispering to themselves and Clarissa was flexing her muscles. She was a blocky sort of girl and her hair was just sort of plastered to her face. It was like she didn't even care what she looked like on the outside. I mean any girl could be decent looking with just a little effort. And Maybellin could cover up a multitude of sins.

My eyes looked over to Nico who was walking next to me and he was fidgeting. I didn't know what was up with him, but he wasn't talking and I wasn't going to pry anything out of him. If he wanted to talk to me he knew how to work his mouth. But it wasn't an unpleasant silence. It was just a nice sort of silence. Like we didn't have to force a conversation or anything. And since he never said what that kiss meant I didn't really have a reason to be pissed at him for not treating me any sort of way. Though I didn't know how that would go anyways, I had never had a boyfriend anyways. Boys just didn't have anything I was looking for. Well the idiot boys I had met.

I shrugged and he looked at me. I gave him a small smile and we kept walking. We ended up in the big arena and it looked like chariot races were held there. And I was startled to see a group of kids working on a real chariot off in the corner. I shook my head. It seemed like I was going to have to step back in time if I was going to live at this camp. It was like any stadium with a area in the middle with a track around the grassy area and the seats rising up to give them a good vantage point to see all the action on the track. In theory I knew what they looked like I had never actually been in one till today.

They all looked at me and just let me take in everything for a minute. It looked like every day was going to bring a surprise for me and for once they were letting me just process it all. This was good I didn't know if my system could just take all the bombardment I had been experiencing over the past few days.

I guess as they stood around me letting me adjust to things and worrying how I would react was helping me to become one of the gang. Which I had never been able to do at the stupid prep school my mom insisted I go to.

Percy was walking over to the sword rack and looking through them. "Unless you guys make swords in wimp size I don't even want to go there." I told him with a slight edge to my voice. I didn't like not being good in something and I hated to have that point of failure shoved in my face.

"It won't hurt to just try something. We have some different swords you can use." he told me gently. I sighed. Percy was only trying to help and there was no reason for me to have a funky attitude. I nodded and the others drifted away to go to battle things. He handed me the sword and I found that I could actually carry this one and left it. Thought it was still a little heavy for me. "Ok Dillon attack me." Percy drew his sword and it gleamed in the sun.

I blanched. Percy looked like he was ready to cleave my head clean off my shoulders, "You want me to attack you?" I asked weakly. He smiled and nodded. I lifted the sword above my head and charged at him. He easily and almost lazily parried my attack and the sword clattered out of my hand. He wasn't even trying. Sword play was not my up of tea. "Percy I can see what you're doing but this sword is just not my thing. Can we try something else?" I asked him dropping the sword. "Surely this isn't the only way I can use of use in a battle?" I mean there were other weapons right?

"Well the sword isn't for everyone, but its one of the easiest and most direct ways to kill." He said simply as if we were talking about a shopping list and I had forgotten the milk.

"Maybe we can help," called a pair of unison voices from across the stadium. I looked up and a pair of twins were walking toward us. The each had a matching head of flaming red hair that looked natural as it tumbled down their backs to tickle their waists. They were tall and extremely lean creatures with matching emerald colored eyes. Their skin was milky pale, but it didn't detract from their beauty. They looked like elves. Honest to the gods elves. I was looking to see if their ears were tapered. I didn't realize I was staring till Percy coughed and I blinked. "We get that all the time." they said in unison.

"Dillon, this is Dallas and this is Arizona." He pointed to each one and for the life of me I had not idea how he could tell them apart. They were even wearing the same thing.

"Are those you're real names?" I asked.

They shook their head and turned to look at each other. They seemed to having a private conversation. "My sister here," said Red One. "Killed a demon in Dallas." So Red Two was Dallas. "And my sister killed a demon in Arizona," So Red One was Arizona." Now that they were up close and personal I could see that they each had a letter sewn to their respected tunics. Thanks the gods, otherwise I wasn't even going to try to tell them apart. Did I mention they dressed like woodland elves. They were wearing knee length tunics gathered at the waist with a hemp looking belt and soft leather boots with brown leggings. I wished I could achieve their height. "Our mother gave us hideous names that rhymed so when we found out who we were we left those names and took new ones." They explained. I nodded. It was simple when you thought about it.

Percy had a silly smile on his face, "So you think she might be good with a bow?" he asked sheathing his sword. They nodded and for once I saw that each twin had a bow slung over their backs with a quiver full of arrows. "Apollo's kids are the best archers." He explained. I nodded as Red Two, um Dallas handed me a bow. It felt great in my hand and it was lightweight. She handed me and arrow and stepped away from me. They both jerked their heads to some targets set up on the other side of the stadium. Percy showed me not to notch the arrow and hold it for release.

The bow actually felt good in my hands, and I turned toward the target. It shimmered in the heat of the day, but my eyes stayed focused. I took a deep breath to steady myself and something made me hold back from just rushing the shot and letting go. With a exhale of my breath I let the arrow fly. I could actually hear it whistling through the air as it flew.

It hit the target with a mighty thud. I turned around to see how I did. Percy and the twins were staring at me with open mouths. My face fell, I guess I was going to have to keep looking for my weapon of choice. "Have you ever practiced archery before?" Asked the twins. They seemed to not like talking as one person.

I shook my head, "I may not look it but I'm sort of a nerd. Not really into the physical side of life." I told them with a shrug. Nerds maybe chic these days, but it was still tough admitting I was one.

"Are you sure you're a daughter of Zeus. We've never seen a novice shoot like that. Do it again." The twins demanded handing me another arrow. I nodded, notched, took a breath, exhaled and released. The same whistling but a different sound when the arrow hit. It sounded like wood splitting. We all jogged down the the end with targets and this time it was my turn for my mouth to hang open. My second arrow had split my first arrow right down the middle.

"Whoa," I couldn't believe I had done that. I had never before in my life picked up a bow and arrow and here I was hitting the targets right on. "Did I do that?" I asked weakly. Everyone nodded at me, all of them now smiling. I little smile slithered across my face and it felt good.

"Well I guess that makes you my sister," A voice called and in union we all turned toward the stadium stairs. A girl with inky black hair and decked out all in white was standing there. She was surrounded by about 15 or 20 other girls. Dressed the same. Her appearance was so sudden I started to wonder if she were a goddess or something, I turned to ask Percy.

"Thalia," Percy cried jogging up to gather the tiny girl up in his arms. Well this day was just getting better and better. I trudged up after him. She had a little silver circlet around her forehead and large silver bracelet on her wrist. She looked like she was glowing she was so pale and utterly white.

We looked at each other. We couldn't be more different if she were a martian. Though we were both tiny little things, that was were the similarities ended. She had the time for her body to mature whereas I was still waiting for my boobs to realize they needed to be on the outside of my body. Well to be fair I did have boobs they were just tiny compared to other girls my age and I hated that. I didn't know why I bothered with bras anymore. Even the really little ones were too big. Alright enough about my lack of boobs.

Thalia had muscles in places I didn't know girls could get muscles and she was self assured in her abilities. Where as I was mostly all bark and very little bite, but with this new bow and arrow thing I could become like Clarissa. "So you're Dillon?" she asked. Her striking blue eyes were done giving me the once over too, and I nodded.

She shoved her hand out and I shook it, "Thalia. Lieutenant for the Hunters, the companions of our lady Artemis." I nodded like I know what the hell she was talking about. "Apollo's twin sister," she said answering my unspoken question. I nodded then. I knew who she was talking about now. "Creepy sleeping in the cabin alone huh?" Well Thalia was straightforward. I softened a bit, I liked that.

"I'm the only one there." I admitted softly. Hey, I didn't want everyone to know I was a pile of mush all the time. Thalia seemed to soften too and she motioned for both of us to walk. I looked to Percy and he made a shooing noise with his hand. I handed the bow back to him and turned to walk with my sister. Ebony and Ivory. And I hoped we would be together in harmony.


	12. My Sister, My Friend

We didn't say anything for a few moments. I didn't know what she was thinking, but I was feeling a bit weird. "So you're totally white and I'm totally black." There I said it. I don't know what I was expecting when I found out I had a sister. Well its not like we were blood sisters, but I mean we had the same dad no matter what. And it was always just me and my mom and it would have been nice to have a sister.

She looked at me, and she didn't seem angry or anything. "Don't even ask me how that works. We all seem to be whatever our mortal parent is," and I had to be satisfied with that answer. Because we couldn't call up dear old dad and ask him. "You know we sort of have a brother too." she told him. "He's name is Jason, but he's the son of Jupiter, but we have the same mom. So me and Jason are blood brother and sister, but since we all sort of have the same dad.." She was trying to make me part of the family and I felt touched.

I nodded, "Wow." was all I could say. I went from just me and mom to a dad, a sister and a brother all within a week. It chocked me up.

Thalia turned to look at me, "Hey," she grabbed my hand and gave me a light squeeze. "I know its a lot to take when you first get here. And many of us come from rough backgrounds, but once you get here we're a family and now you have me and Jason." She gave me a slight smile and I returned it.

"So where is Jason?" I asked her. I was sure I hadn't met a Jason, at least I hope not. I would feel like a total moron to have met my brother and forgot it.

"He's at the other camp in L.A. See we are demigods from the Greek gods, but there are demigods from the Roman gods, but they go to a different camp. And Jason is the son of Jupiter so he didn't come to Half Blood, well he did, but that was because of Hera's meddling." Thalia explained but she might as well have been speaking Greek which I had a nasty feeling I could understand and I wasn't sure why. "Something is brewing that's going to take all of us to fix. Gaia is stirring."

"Oh I met her," I blurted out and Thalia stopped walking and turned to look at me.

She grabbed my elbow roughly, "Where, what did she say to you?" she demanded.

I tried to pull back from her and she realized what she was doing and she let go. I rubbed my elbow. Geez, this chicks were strong. "I think it was a dream. I mean we were't like anywhere on Earth or something. It happened when I passed out when Nico brought me here. She seemed nice to me," I shrugged.

"Come on. We have to get everyone together," she changed directions and we were headed up to the big house. My eyes lighted on the strawberry fields. I was going to have a snag some of those, or I was going to go crazy. I followed behind her and she went to ring a honest to the gods a cowbell hanging from of the eave. She was pacing up and down as she waited for everyone to gather. I didn't know if we were waiting for the whole camp or what.

Chiron came a galloping from somewhere with a bow flung across his back, and Enyo came walking lazily up the stairs with a menacing looking boy behind her. He gave me a toothy grin and I smiled back. I need to stop judging books by their covers. "Ahh I thought I saw some Hunters." Chiron said smiling at Thalia. Enyo just sneered and Thalia returned the look in kind. Oh yeah I was really warming up to my sister.

"What's wrong oh dear Hunter." Enyo asked sitting down in one of the chair and propping her feet up on the railing.

"We can discuss it in downstairs." Thalia told her. I guess they were meaning they didn't want to discuss anything around me since I was the new kid and wasn't privy to the top secret demigod stuff.

It stung, but I wasn't going to breakdown in front of anyone. I turned and walked back down the stairs. "Hey where are you going?" I turned back up to look at Thalia.

"Well you guys are having some sort of meeting. I can go do some exploring and get some lunch or something." I told her off handedly. Just so she wouldn't know how hurt I was.

"We need all the senior counselors and you it for the Zeus cabin," she explained.

"But you're older and you've been here longer," I pointed out.

She shook her head, "I'm a Hunter so I'm the counselor for the Artemis cabin." she said. I wasn't sure I understood that. I was just happy I could stay. The rest of the counselors were finally arriving. Percy, Nico, Annabeth, Clarissa, Dallas and Arizona, and a few others were trickling in. we all shuffled into the house and headed downstairs to the basement.

I think it was going to be like the Oracle of Delphi or something. All mystical and magically, but it was just a normal rec room. It even had a ping pong table. Everyone sat down.

"Everyone this is Dillon, daughter of Zeus." Chiron announced. "Dillon this is Pollux, Miranda, Travis and Conner, Lou Ellen, Pollux, Will and Rachel." he pointed to each kid and they dipped their head or gave me a little wave. I smiled back at all of them.

Except Thalia. She was pacing around the table we were all sitting at. "Gaia visited Dillon in her dreams," she announced. I didn't think it was a big deal but from the startled reactions from everyone at the table it was a big deal. Clarissa jumped up and knocked over a chair. Nico's mouth hung open. Both sets of twins blanched, and for Dallas and Arizona that was a feat.

"How can she do that?" asked the girl I hoped was Piper. She was a pretty girl, but she didn't seem to want to do anything about being pretty. Her hair was just pulled back in a sloppy ponytail. "We stopped her." she added as if that should have been the end of the matter.

"What did she say to you Dillon?" Chiron asked. "Where did you see her?"

I shrugged, "I mean she wasn't drilling me for information really. She just seemed to want to talk to me. She asked me about how I felt about my dad." I added softly. I didn't want to share all this personal information with them. It was private. "She said it was her resting place." I answered.

The looks around the room chilled me to my core. What the hell was going on around here?

"Where were you?" Percy asked.

I wanted to shrug but this seemed to serious to shrug. "It was just on top of a mountain, but it didn't feel like it was a mountain on Earth. I don't know if that makes sense, but we weren't on top of like Kilimanjaro or anything. She told me it was her resting place, she said that I had come to see her." And then I shrugged. That's all I had to say. Everyone was looking at me and I looked back. I didn't know what I had done wrong. No one saying anything. And I was starting to really freak out. I mean they were acting like I had just told them the world was going to end in 20 minutes. Finally they all turned away from me and I didn't realize how bad I was sweating till I ran a hand across my forehead and pulled it away wet.

"We need Jason to get back here," Thalia said finally. A few people nodded their heads. Especially Piper.

"But he's at the other camp trying to convince them to work with us." Travis added.

"We can do this without them. We won the Titan War without them," Clarissa growled. A few people growled in support and clapped.

"We didn't win without them. They had to fight on Mount Tam while we were in New York." Annabeth reasoned and everyone grew quiet. "We were fighting together and we just didn't know it. That's the point of why Hera sent Jason here and put Percy there. We can't win this without all of us finally working together." No one said anything. I was confused as hell.

"There's another camp?" I asked. A few heads bobbed.

"When Greece fell and civilization moved on to the Roman Empire the gods went with them. Though not as the Greek gods who we know. They became Roman gods. Took on different personalities, jobs and they, Roman gods and goddesses, had demigod children too. Rome conquered Greece. So there was no way for us and them to go to the same camp. I mean though it seems like we have the same parents we don't. The Roman gods are harsher, crueler. They believe in discipline, strength and never showing weakness. So Camp Half Blood is for the demigod children of the Greek gods and the other camp is for the demigod children of the Roman gods and that's where Jason is right now trying to convince them to work with us." Annabeth explained like she had bee giving that speech for awhile. From the glazed look in everyone's eye she had given it to them a few times.

"Why wouldn't they work with us?" I felt supremely stupid asking all these questions, but hell this was only my third day and I walk into the middle of a war.

Percy was the one to speak up this time, "Well it seems that in the 1800s there was a little war between the camps and it got pretty nasty and a few people died, and the only way to cover up something that big was to start a war between Spain and the United States." he told me.

My mouth hung open, "The War of 1812 was actually a war between us them the other camp?" I asked. He nodded. Well damn, no wonder they didn't want to work with us. That war was so bad we had to cover it up with an actual war...Well that was a hello good morning for you.

Before I could ask another question the redhead in the corner..Rachel jumped out of her chair like she had been electrocuted. A nasty looking green mist swirled around her feet and when she opened her eyes they were blazing green and it was like she wasn't looking at anything. This seemed to be an every day occurance because no one freaked out like I wanted to. I mean was this some Exorcist stuff going on?

She opened her mouth, but she sounded like an old Jewish man in a deli trying to send back some cold soup.

_A family torn apart. Vows betrayed. _

_Five must venture to find what was lost._

_A child of the sky will decide the fate of the lot._

_Beware of the Earth and relish the wind._

_For time is short for the world to end. _

Before she could slump over into the floor Travis and Conner raced over to catch her and easy her back down into her chair. This must happen all the time, but my heart was racing.

"What the hell was that?" My voice coming out shaky. I frowned.

"A prophecy and a quest." Piper said. I noticed that kid Leo was giving me a doe eyes look and he kept running his fingers through his hair. Everyone looked at me.

"What?" I demanded. "I didn't do it." I felt like they were accusing me of making that Rachel girl suck green smoke.

"It said a child of the sky will decide the fate of the lot." Percy said. "That's you, Jason and Thalia. But Jason isn't here and Thalia is a hunter. So I think that means you." He pointed out.

I blanched, and jumped out of my chair, "What me. Go on a quest. I order Chinese food and help my mom build a V8 engine,"

"Beautiful and a gearhead," Leo said dreamily as he looked at me. That took all the air out of my hissy fit and I sat back down.

"You won't be alone. The prophecy said five must go. So that means you get to choose you're companions. Though five is a lot to send. The last time." Annabeth stopped speaking. I gathered something bad happened from the solemn looks in the rooms. "So its up to you to choose who goes with you." I looked at her. I could barely remember everyone's name let alone pick them for a quest.

I looked at Thalia for help, "I wish I could go with you, but we are tracking something. And I can't abandon our hunt." Well there was one down.

I looked at Nico, "I can't go either. It's taking me, dad and Persephone to keep the dead from rising again. It took everything I could muster just to get you here in one piece." he explained.

I tried to keep from screaming. Why did I get picked for the quest if everyone I want can't go. "Clarissa," I almost pleaded.

She shook her main of dishwater hair, "Sorry kid. Dad is sending me to the other camp for Legion training." she didn't look happy about that. And if something could put that face on Clarissa I didn't want any part of it.

I was on the verge of letting loose a torrent of very bad words and a lot of angry tears. And I hated angry tears because people couldn't often tell the difference and they thought I was weak because I was crying. That wasn't the case."Percy and Annabeth?" I asked, they were my last hope. If they couldn't go I wasn't going. The both nodded and gave me small smiles. I let loose a pent up sigh. I turned and looked around the room. That Leo kid was still looking at me all gooey eyed, "Um Leo." His smile got to bright I thought it would blind me. Wasn't sure who else to pick. Dallas and Arizona seemed to be a box set, so I couldn't split them up. And I didn't know how well they would function on their own without the other one there. Lou ellen had a crazed look in her eyes, so she was out. "Piper." I blurted out. She looked up surprised that I would pick her and truth be told I was just as surprised.

Chiron nodded, "Well that is settled. We will come back to the issue of Gaia if you return from the quest." he looked around at everyone in the room. No one spoke and it looked like the color was returning to Rachel's face and she finally came back to her senses.

"Why's is everyone looking so serious?" she asked as if she just didn't go all Carrie on the room. After that the meeting broke up. And a horn blew and I really hoped that was the dinner bell. I had missed breakfast and lunch and I was on the verge of really good hissy fit.

"Dinner time," Leo announced. And that made me smile and that made Leo smile even bigger. Geez, what was with him?

I turned to look at Thalia, "Are you staying?" I asked softly. I had just met her, like literally 45 minutes ago but I already didn't want her to go.

She shook her head, "We can't stay. We don't want to lose the scent. Percy and Annabeth are hold hands at this quest thing. And Piper and Leo are ok to have in a fight." She pulled me into a fierce hug. "Be safe here. We got some catching up to do sister." She nodded at everyone in the room and she she was gone.

I felt sort of hollow at her leaving, but Percy slipped his arms around my shoulder, "You got us Dillon. Don't worry." I smiled up at him and he winked. "You ready for this?" he asked as he let me go and we all headed up the stairs and out the doors toward the open pavilion?

"Hell no," I answered.

"Well that's how you know you are ready." Annabeth supplied. She was actually looking forward to this quest. Well wasn't she the crazy one.


	13. We Got Drama

I was going on a quest. Whatever that meant.

And I was looking for something that was lost, and a family was torn apart and some other stuff I couldn't remember. My head was reeling and no one was noticing.

Everyone was walking toward the dining pavilion like they didn't just get handed a quest. Then it hit me. I was going on a quest, and I had no idea what it was and what I was supposed to be doing, but seeing all the armor and the weapons, it was going to be rough and I might die.

I was on the verge of hyper ventilating on the lawn and they were smiling. Why was I the only one freaking out? Holy chocolate cow! My head started spinning and I had to stop before I fell over and died right on the spot. Hmm, wonder if Nico would visit me if I died. No go back to freaking out about the quest.

My head was reeling and the whole world was coming down on my like a ton of bricks and no one was paying me any sort of attention. They had dinner on the brain.

I didn't feel too much like eating anymore. My stomach was in knots and it was threatening to stage a revolt on me. That wouldn't end well for anyone.

I turned to head back toward my cabin and just sleep till the quest was over. Yeah, that was the perfect idea and I was proud of myself for coming up with it. With my mind made up I swiftly turned and was going to march off toward my cabin and hole up till I couldn't stand the taste in my mouth and I had to get up to brush my teeth.

"Hey Dillon," I turned around and Leo was jogging toward me and fiddling with something in his hands. The kid was in constant motion. "You aren't eating? The food ain't bad." he said shoving the pipe cleaners into his pockets.

"I'm not really hungry." I told him as I turned around to walk alone, guess he didn't get the hint because he fell into step right beside me. I kept walking. "Look Leo. I..."I saw the look in his face and my witty retort to make him scram died on my lips. That was just mean, and I had to check my attitude. "Nevermind." I sighed as I stopped in front of the cabin with grass growing on the roof and sat down on the stump of a tree.

"I know I may look all awesome and warrior like, but I was scared and confused on my first quest." he told me.

"You scared? No way," I said sarcastically. With his tight curly black hair he looked liked he was barely ten years old, but the light behind his puppy brown eyes spoke of his experience.

"So um what cabin are you in?" I asked and I noticed he had steered me back toward the dining pavilion and that was ok. I didn't really want to be alone, but I guess I didn't want to look weak. Everyone here was so kick ass and seemed so sure of themselves that I felt like I was just playing dress up and sooner or later they were going to send me back home.

"I'm in the Hephaestus cabin. My mom was a mechanic." he explained. His voice got all quiet when he talked about his mother. I gathered his mother was a touchy subject. Geez did everyone come from a broken home situation. Granted I grew up without a father, but my mom more than made up for that. At least I think so.

"My mom is a mechanic too. She's Danika Patrick's crew chief" I told him proudly. And he turned on that 100 watt smile and I nearly tripped. "Well she started out doing extreme sports. Sky diving." That's how she had caught the eye of Zeus. I could hear the chatter of the dining pavilion as we walked up.

The place was bigger than it look from afar. And noticed that in addition to the campers of which there were more than 200 it looked, there were those satyrs people and some funny looking girls. They didn't look quite human, but I had no idea what they were and I was just too tired of all this stuff to really ask who they were. And this was the weirdest thing, in the middle of the pavilion was a huge fire pit. About the size of one of the tables. It was blazing away happily. Grecian columns were holding up, well nothing since there wasn't a roof, but they were still there. Strictly ceremonial and decorative.

I groaned, I hated the cafeteria scene. It was always a struggle to figure out where to sit. I wasn't popular enough for some tables, or rich enough for others. "Dillon here!" a gruff voice commanded. I looked around and Clarissa was waving me down. I relaxed inside. Me and Loe weaved through the tables and campers and headed over to the table where Clarissa was sitting. Percy, Annabeth, Nico, Piper, Will, and Clarissa were all at the table along with some other kids I didn't know, but I was happy to be invited to the table.

We all sat down and my stomach grumbled happily. I was hungry no which way about it. A few girls laden down with huge serving platters of food sauntered over to the tables. I smelled barbeque and my stomach did a flip. It smelled wonderful and my mouth was watering.

I piled my plate with salad and barbecue chicken and roasted potatoes and was all set to dig in when Chiron clanked his hoof on the floor and everyone fell silent. "To the Gods,"

"To the Gods," everyone answered back and then instead of digging in like I really wanted to everyone got up with the plates and headed over to the fire pit. I noticed everyone was pushing a portion of their food into the fire.

"Why are you doing that?" I asked Piper who I had ended up behind.

"They like the smell," she shrugged as she scraped off a pile of the fattest grapes on her plate. I noticed that everyone has pushing in the best part of their dinner. The juiciest piece of chicken or the really buttery potatoes.

I stood over the fire, with my plate. I pushed in the fattest piece of chicken on my plate. I expected the smell of burning chicken to hit my nose, but it smelled like eggnog and pine trees. Hot chocolate and butter popcorn. I was startled at the smell. It was wonderful and totally unexpected.

Hmm, well maybe my dad did like that smell. I certainly did, but now I was free to sit down and eat and thats what my stomach reminded me when it rumbled again as I walked back to my table. There was a empty glass at my seat when I got back but I didn't see where I could get something to drink and everyone else already had something in their glass.

Ok did I miss one of those serving girls with the drinks? I sat down next to Leo, with Nico across from me and Clarissa on the other side of me. I shivered a little in Clarissa' shadow. "Just tell the glass what you want." Nico said answering my unspoken question.

I looked at the glass, "Eggnog milkshake." The glass shimmered and produced a thick off white milkshake. I dunked my straw in and took a small sip. It was delicious.

"Oh wow," I commented as I greedily sucked down the entire milkshake in one go. It reminded me so much of home I almost cried, but I held myself together. Usually I only got the milkshakes during Christmas and me and my mom had to take the train all the way to North Carolina to get them. It was a special trip for us and one I looked forward to every year.

But, this was a much better plan, I thought. The glass refilled itself as I set it down to start eating. Everyone was chatting away like any other normal camp or school. It was almost hard to believe that all the kids here were the offspring of Olympic gods. And that some of us were going on a quest. A quest that we many not live through.

At that thought my appetite went right out the window. The food tasted like sawdust and I just couldn't stomach it anymore. I pushed my plate away and stood up. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me. "Not really so hot." I told them with a weak smile. Several of them nodded and gave me sympathetic look.

Nico and Leo both stood and when they noticed they had both stood seemingly for the same reason to escort me back to my cabin they stopped and glared at each other. "Going somewhere Valdez?" Nico asked evenly.

"Walking Dillon back to her cabin is all," he said with a shrug. Everyone was now paying attention to this little scene and I could feel my cheeks starting to redden, and thankfully for me I was the shade of poured chocolate so it wasn't as obvious.

Nico walked around to stand next to me daring Leo to challenge him. "That's my job." he announced.

I stared at Nico with my mouth open. We share one kiss and then he ignores me and now he thinks we're an item. "Is anyone going to ask me what I want?" I asked Nico. He was assuming a lot from a kiss, granted the Earth did move from that kiss, but it was still just a kiss. We hadn't talked about anything.

Nico turned to look at him a black fire dancing around the whites of his eyes. "Nevermind." he turned and jumped into the gloom of the forest. Everyone turned to look at me after Nico disappeared. Ok I just didn't have the nerves left to handle this. I just turned and walked out of the dining pavilion.

"I didn't ask for any of this!" I shouted angry tears steaming down my face now. I was stomping back toward the direction I hoped my cabin was. I needed my bed and I needed to be alone.

"I have to agree with that statement Dillon Parker." A female's voice said. I whirled around to verbally assault whoever it was who couldn't take a hint to leave me alone. It was a tall woman with her dark tresses gathered in a intricate braid that wound down her back. She was wearing a glowing white gown that swept the ground around her feet. She was looking at me with a sneer on her face.

"Did I open the floor for suggestions?" I snapped. She took a step toward me and the air around her shimmered with power. I stepped back. "Who are you?" I asked. Not really cowed but I knocked the attitude down a few notches.

"Hera," she answered. Oh crap. This day was just getting better and better by the minute. I should go buy life insurance at this rate. "Seems as if my husband just can't help himself. Not even a oath on the River Styx can keep him under control." She was looking at me and it was making me squirm. "Not only do I have to put up with that nasty little tart Thalia Grace now I had to suffer you!" she roared. Her power blew the air back and I stumbled over and fell rightly on my butt. "After Jason he promised. He gave me Jason and said he was done. There weren't anymore." The fire was dancing around the corners of her eyes now. She looked mad. She advanced on me. "You're all alike. Snotty and arrogant and running around flaunting yourselves." The air was crackling with energy and the hair on my arms were standing up on end.

She was scaring me and I wasn't sure how far she was going to go. I knew the stories of heros who crossed Hera and she held grudges. "Queen Hera, ma'am I haven't done anything." I said thankful that my voice didn't quiver.

She looked down at me, "You were born." She raised her hands and the clouds parted. And now she was going to kill me! I flinched and covered my head waiting for my last breath. Thunder clapped and then there was a blinding light. I was blown back almost 20 feet.

My face felt singed and tight and I had to force my eyes to open. Hera was being held back by two people I couldn't make out and my dad was standing in front of her. The whole camp had gathered around the scene. This was like a bad episode of Jerry Springer. Someone was reaching down to help me up. It was the man from Bellowood Academy. "Up you get." he said. I felt like my whole body was on fire. My clothes had scorch marks all over them.

"This will stop!" thundered Zeus. Everyone cowed and backed off. Hermes helped me limp over to the scene and when my dad say saw me his face darkened further. And that was saying something. He turned on Hera, who was still being held by a boy and a girl. I guessed they were Apollo and Artemis. It looked like the whole family was out for the show. "You will stop." He said evenly. He nodded to the twins and they released Hera. She snatched her arms from their grasps and stood up with as much dignity as she could. He looked around at everyone gathered. "Leave." he commanded, and everyone stumbled over themselves trying to get away.


	14. The Family Ties

I stood there trying to keep the Earth for tilting up on me. Hera had struck me good, or whomever it was. Hera glared at all of us, me most of all. I didn't do anything to her and neither did my mom. If she were mad at Zeus she needed to take that up with him.

Zeus seemed to shimmer down and his form stopped vibrating like he was going to go supernova and nuke everyone. Hera still seemed heated but she didn't seem crazed anymore. Hermes had his arm around my waist. He was one of the shortest gods I had ever met. "Never seen her this mad," he whispered to me. I had never seen her at all so I guess this was a night of first for all of us.

"What has sparked this flame Hera?" Zeus asked as he paced around her.

She glared at him, "Do you need to ask?" Her steely gazed swept over me and I'm not afraid to admit that I shrank behind Hermes a little when she looked at me. "You insult me and our bond with every one of these..." she started to say something that I was sure wasn't nice, but the look on Zeus' face stopped her. "Your children." she finished.

"You turn me away!" he roared. The entire camp rocked and shook. The only thing that kept me on my feet was Hermes, and even he cowered. I guess no one had ever seen Zeus this mad. "Since the day we took over from the Titans you turned me away. I am the god of heaven and I have needs woman!" he shouted and lightened cracked across the sky. This wasn't going to end well and since I was the only non-immortal present I thought I would make a grateful exit and go hide.

Hermes held me tight however and I didn't want to draw any attention back to me. "Just let them have it out." he whispered. I few flashes of light lite up the whole area. A tall woman with a curtain of dark tresses and a beefy man with a muscle shirt on took up places behind Hera.

Hera pulled herself up to her full height, "You love them more than me. These human women. These toys. They are mortal and fleeting." she sneered. My blood boiled. She was talking about my mom like she was nothing. I yanked away from Hermes and he reached out to grab me and I dodged his hands.

"Don't you talk about my mother like that!" I shouted. All sanity had abandoned me I admit. Everyone rounded on me and I saw the look in Zeus' eyes. First he was scared for me, but I saw a flicker of pride there and that kept me going. "Maybe if you got of your fancy ass high horse and snuggled with Zeus he wouldn't have to go around trying to sleep with everyone." Yeah I was taking a dig at my dad but he had it coming just as much as she did. Me being born or not he was technically cheating on Hera and that wasn't any more on this side of right than Hera trying to roast me like a Peking Duck. "I mean hell trying wearing something other than a toga." Hera's eyes literally flashed.

A bark of laughter rang out and we all turned to look at the buff guy laughing his head off. "If I didn't know any better I would swear she was one of mine." he wiped a tear away from his eye and straightened up once again.

Hera turned back to look at me, "You insolent little brat. I am the Queen of Heaven. You breathe air because of my good grace."

"I am so sick of all you!" I shouted stomping my foot. "You all run around having kids that you don't claim or take care of and you have the nerve to blame us. I don't care if you are the Queen of Heaven or Lady fucking Di. I didn't cheat on mom didn't cheat on you. He did." I pointed and Zeus, stuck my tongue out at Hera. "Take it up with him." I turned and stalked away. I was tired of all of them. Every last one of them.

I stomped all the way back to my cabin, which I found without getting lost once. The anger was rolling through me and I could feel it burning in my chest. Or maybe Hera was slowly trying to boil me from the inside out.

I threw myself onto one of the couches and then the hot tears came. I hated crying, but I let the tears fall. If I didn't get all of this out I didn't know what other stupid stunt I would pull. Yelling and cursing at the gods was certainly the dumbest thing I had ever done and I doubted if I could top that. I heard a knock on the door and I turned away hoping whoever it was would just go away.

"That was quite a performance I must say. The look on Hera's face will keep me tickled for at least a millennia." I turned around and glared at Enyo. She was the last person I really wanted to see. She didn't pick up the hint as she walked into my cabin and sat down in of the Barcelona chairs to look at me. "Did you get it all out? Do you feel better now?" The corner of her mouth was pulling up into a smile and it only enraged me.

"Why are you here! To gloat. To say I told you so!" I shouted.

Enyo looked up at me. "Why dear sister I was coming to see how you were doing. Its not every day someone drops the f-bomb to Hera." She stood up. "Maybe it will have an effect, but history tells me it was a pretty speech and thats all." She walked over and opened a mini refrigerator that was tucked under the counter along the wall. I didn't know that was there. She pulled out a Spirit and opened it. "Since Kronos gave birth to them and they defeated him Zeus has always cheated on Hera and truth be told she doesn't really care about that. Its the principle of mortal women thinking they are above her because they caught Zeus eye that really eats away at her." Enyo shrugged.

"My mom never thought that." I had calmed down. "All my mom cared about was me and engines."I sighed. "Just leave me alone." I told her. She raised an eyebrow but winked out of my cabin. I just didn't want to deal with anyone right now. I felt like a rung sponge.

I got off the sofa and wondered over to my bed I was thinking about just crawling in, but I wanted a shower first. The hot water should have recovered from my 2 hour shower the other day. I grabbed my bathroom caboodle and my towel and walked over towards the bathrooms. A few kids were milling around but they near broke their necks turning around to avoid me. Any other day that would have stung, but right now I was thankful.

I heard a few showers going but I kept right on walking, going all the back to the my shower. This was a great time to be the only kid in the Zeus cabin. I didn't have to share my bathroom with anyone. I stripped my clothes off and stepped into the shower with the hot water on full blast. I didn't bother with a shower cap because I was going to take my hair down tonight. I needed something mindless to keep me from having another "episode." That's what my counselor at that stupid school called my fits and tantrums. I turned around to let the water wash down my back and through my scalp.

I turned back around to actually start bathing and Nico stepped out of the wall of the shower. "NICO!" I screamed grabbing my towel with one hand and reached to smack him with the other. "What the hell are you doing in here!" my hand whizzed past his face as he dodged my hand.

He ran out of the shower. "I didn't know you were in the shower!" he shouted back angrily. My heart was racing and I felt like I was going to pass out. Nico had just seen me naked. From head to toe, he had just seen every inch of me. And my boos hadn't even grown in yet!

"Oh my god," I said shutting off the water. I didn't bother drying off off as I snatched on my clothes.

"I'm sorry. Seriously I didn't know you were in the shower."

"Screw you Nico. This is the second time you've seen me without clothes on. You're a peeping Tom!" I shouted racing around him and out of the showers toward my cabin. My whole body was blushing. Seriously could anything else happen. Leo popped out of one of the columns of my cabin as I stormed up. Of course things can always get worse. I shouldn't have asked.

He was smiling, but once he saw the state I was in the smile vanished. "You ok?" he asked as I pushed past him into my cabin.

I threw myself onto my bed and under the covers. I heard Leo follow me inside, "Oh please Leo not right now." I couldn't look at anyone right now. I had literally just bared myself and looking someone in the eye right now was not high on my list of things to do.

"Come on Dillon. What's wrong." He sat down on my bed. "You can tell Uncle Leo." he chuckled at his own joke and I relaxed a bit.

I poked my head out from the covers, "Nico saw me naked in the showers." I quickly ducked my head back under the covers before he could see how deep a black girl could blush. He sat there for a few minutes and when he didn't say anything I peeked out from the covers to look at him. He was staring at the wall with a huge grin and blank expression on his face. I gave his arm a punch. "Hey I didn't tell you that so you could get a mental picture." His carmel colored cheeks flushed red and he had the good graces to looked shame.

"I'm sorry." he got off my bed and moved over to another bunk. "How did he see you naked?" He didn't seem to be asking to get a blueprint of how to go about doing it so I answered him.

"He did the whole child of Hades stepping through space thing that he does." I told him.

"That sucks." he gave me a sheepish grin and I relaxed a little more. "So how you dealing with this whole quest thing?" He pulled some trinket out of his pocket and started fiddling with it. He seriously couldn't sit still.

I leaned against my headboard as I tried to gather my thoughts. "I have no idea. I'm scared." I admitted. He let go of the trinket and it flew out of his hand. It was a Pegasus.

"I was scared on my first quest too, but I had some good friends along for the ride. Jason and Piper." He smiled. "The thing is you're always going to be scared there's nothing to be done about that and really it will help you. Keep you on your toes because what we are up against..." he shuddered and didn't finish that statement. He stood up, "Well I will let you get some sleep we start out tomorrow." He gave me another smile and I smiled back him. He quickly left and I sank back into my pillow.

Would this day ever end?

There was a knock at my door. "Oh for heaven's sake!" I shouted. I was going on a quest in the morning, I had just cursed at Hera and Nico had seen me completely naked and my cabin was Grand Central Station all of a sudden. Zeus stepped into my cabin and I jumped out of bed like my pants were on fire. "Dad." I said before I could catch myself.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked walking in. He wasn't wearing that power suit I had first seen him in. He was wearing a gods honest toga. It somehow seemed really official.

"No," I said hoping I wasn't blushing.

"That was quite a speech out there." His voice had a solemn tone, but his eyes were twinkling. "I've never seen Hera dumbstruck." He laughed. A deep rumble in his broad chest.

I walked toward him, "I'm sorry about that." And in retrospect I was sorry I had blown up and cursed at Hera and shouted at my dad.

"No need to apologize." He sat down on the couch and motioned for me to seat as well. I sat down across from him and he made a face like he wanted me to sit next to him. "I know it wasn't easy growing up without a father." He started.

"Without you." I cut in. He was my dad I didn't understand why the gods talked like they weren't parents just because they were gods.

He nodded, "Yes without me." He sighed. "You're mother was a wonderful woman. So beautiful and spunky." He wasn't looking at me anymore. It was like he was seeing my mother for the first time. "And when she smiled. She could stop traffic. I was drawn to her. Not even Thalia and Jason's mom made me feel like Kelis did. She was so gentle." I held my hand up.

"Virgin ears here." I did not want to hear about him and my mom getting it one. Talk about gross. "And I get it you liked her and you slept with her."

"It was more than that Dillon. I loved your mom. She is a queen among women." He ran his hand through his hair and electricity crackled. "I was there the day you were born you know. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. She pushed and you tumbled out. You didn't cry or anything. You giggled and burped." He smiled as he looked at him. I could see his eyes were a bit misty. Mine were too. "Never doubt that I love you Dillon. You are my daughter and I have made mistakes in the past, but I never regret any of you."

"Why weren't you there? When my mom needed you. When I needed you." I was going to tell him exactly how I felt and since he was here he was going to have to listen now.

"I have a universe to run Dillon. If I could walk away and buy a penthouse and live out mortal days surrounded by my children and wives I would. But I can't. But I was always there. At all of your birthday parties. At your science fair." He told me.

I looked at him, "Really?" I was stunned.

"Yes. I watched you grow up." He stood up and opened his arms to me. I looked up at him torn between my hurt and his revelations. I finally gave in and threw myself into his arms. I didn't know I was crying till he started rubbing my back and making shhhsing noises. He let me cry as he held me and I was grateful he didn't say anything. Sometimes I just needed to cry without someone trying to comfort me. Once I was all cried out I stood back. "Go see your mother before you leave tomorrow ok?" I nodded and he kissed my forehead. He gave me one last pat on my back before he winked out of my cabin.

Now it was time for bed.


	15. Olympic Gifts

I was hoping for a good nights sleep, gods I had earned it, but for some reason at Half Blood made me dream.

I rolled over and fell off a tree stump. I jumped up and realized I was back in Gaia resting place again.

"That was a touching family moment." Her voice rolled over my like a water summer rain. I walked over to the waterfall where her voice was coming from. She was sitting on the grass with a snake coiling around her neck.

I yelped and jumped back. "What the frack."

"Watch your mouth." Gaia snapped. The sky darkened and the ground rumbled. I stumbled back and fell back over onto my butt Whoa! Did Camp Half Blood have life insurance?

"Yes ma'am." I stood up and brushed the grass off my tush. I skirted around Gaia to sit a few feet away from her making sure the snake had its head pointed in another direction.

She relaxed and the sky cleared and the Earth stopped rolling, "So I see my consort has been to see you." My mouth fell open and I gaped at her. I knew what a consort was and what they did...mental picture...Ok eww gross. I pulled a face and tried to keep the bile from crawling up my throat. Couldn't these gods keep it in their pants?

YICK!

It took a few moments to keep myself from really being sick. Once I was sure I was going to keep down what little dinner I managed to eat I looked up at Gaia. "I sort of yelled at Hera today." I confessed.

Gaia chuckled and the trees in the grove swayed to the groove of her laugh. "Its time someone put her in her place." She snake slithered down her back and across the grass. I watched it as it wound up a tree and into the branches. The branch swayed under the weight and I was hoping it would break and the snake would plummet to its death. "How did this little confession of Zeus' make you feel?" Gaia's voice pulled me out of my snake mocking daydream. She motioned for me to come closer. I stood up and walked over to her. I knew she was like the badass of all the gods or whatever, but I didn't see why everyone was flipping out about her.

The snake creeped me out a little bit, but Nico creeped me a tiny bit too. So I couldn't base anything off the creepy factor.

I sat down at her feet and peered up at her. "I don't know. I guess it was a good bonding experience." I told her. I didn't want to bare my soul to her. I mean it had been a private moment between me and my dad and I didn't want to psychoanalyze it to death. At least not yet, it had just happened and I was still on the high of having that experience with my dad.

Gaia chuckled again, "They were pretty words Dillon. Nothing more. Oh Zeus can talk about how he was there watching you from afar, but was he really? Was he there when you broke your arm snowboarding?" She asked looking down at me. How did she know that? It had just been me and my mom on vacation after I got kicked out of my first prep school. St. Stevens in Manhattan. "He could have seen you from Olympus. That's not the same as being there for you and your mother Dillon." She flung her hand out as she spoke.

I looked up at her, "Why are you telling me this?" Why was she trying to shatter the tender moment that I had shared with Zeus?

She fixed those ever changing eyes on me, "Because you need to know the truth about the gods Dillon." She grabbed me by the shoulders and yanked me up to me feet. Her hands dug painfully into my arms. I tried to twist away from her, but she had an iron grip on me. "They are treacherous and evil. Zeus only told you what you wanted to hear. What you needed to hear because they know what is coming and this is a last ditch effort to get the help of heros." There was a pinpoint of light behind her eyes that chilled me to the bone. Spittle flew from her mouth

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and stopped twisting. "What's coming?" I asked.

A sinister smile snaked across her face. Her face contorted and twisted like mud swirling in a sink hole. "My rising." she hissed. I screamed.

I woke with a start wrapped up in my sheets. "Arggggghhh!" I screamed thrashing around trying to get free. I rolled off the bed and thumped the ground hard. The wind rushed out of me, and I painfully rolled over onto my back to catch my breath.

I finally got free of the sheets and I sat panting on the floor covered in sweat. "Holy pudding cup." I breathed as I stood up on shaky legs.

Yeah I didn't think Gaia was so sweet and cuddly anymore. I stumbled back over to my bed and swallowed down three advils I had dug out of my purse the other day. I had to swallow several times to work up enough saliva to swallow them down dry. I sat on the bed to make sure the world wasn't going to tilt on my and dump me off the edge of the Earth before I got up and gathered up my stuff to take a shower. Today we were going questing.

Whatever the hell that meant.

I took a quick shower since I hadn't really showered last night. Having a guy see you butt naked wasn't a pleasant shower experience.

I leaned against the shower wall and took a few minutes to take my braids down. I washed my hair since it had been a few weeks since my last shampoo. I toweled off slowly. I needed to work out the knots in my back and legs from that blanket death match I had this morning with my bed.

My hair air dried and it ended up tightly curled around her face, I looked almost Puerto Rican. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror at the thought. I rooted around in my caboodle for a brush and some gel. My hair went up in an elastic band and I slicked it back with hair gel, now I looked like a Queens Puerto Rican. Which was as good as I could do. My mom always did my hair or paid someone else to do. I doubted anyone at Camp Half Blood could work with African American hair. I seemed to be the only black kid in the place at the moment. That was fine I was usually the only black crayon in the box.

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do now. We were supposed to be leaving on this quest today and I had no idea how one started out on a quest. "Dillon!" I winced and turned toward the shout. Seriously did they only have one volume around here? Percy came jogging up to me. "Whoa you look like hellhound food." he said with a chuckle.

"Aren't you a funny demigod," I told him rolling my eyes at his lame joke.

"Rough night?" He dropped the comedy routine and dropped his arm around my shoulder. I felt like a little doll.

I nodded and sighed. "Had a few visitors last night including Gaia. Who went bat crazy on me like that." I snapped my fingers. "She is scary as hell. Makes Hera look like Dora the Explorer." We were walking up towards the Big House.

"What did Gaia say?" He asked.

I shook my head, "She grabbed me and I thought she was going to shake me silly. I mean for a goddess who claims to still be asleep she sure is strong." I rubbed my arms at the memory of the violation. "But it wasn't so much what she said. But the whole scene was sinister. Like she had a snake coiled around her neck and she was very aggressive and mean. The first time I saw her she was so nice and sweet. I mean I smelled chocolate and strawberries. When she laughed birds started to sing." I stopped talking. I don't know why. Percy looked down at me and I blinked a few times to bring myself back. "Um..anyways. She did say that the gods were scared and trying to rally us together because they knew she is rising." I tried to block out the image of her face twisting. It didn't work. I shuddered and Percy squeezed my shoulder.

He smiled down at me, "Don't worry we won't let anything happen to you." I nodded. I wish Zeus could have been more like Percy.

"So who's bringing the fajitas?" Leo asked happily walking up behind us. He was too bright eyed and bushy tailed for me, but I smiled anyways. "Whoa mama. Do you need a blessing from Aphrodite or something?" I stopped and turned around to fully face him.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" I asked him enunciating every word as I crossed my arms across my chest. My eyes were shooting sparks.

He took a few steps back down from the porch holding his hands up in mock surrender, "Um nothing. You look great in the morning." He tried to smile me into submission but I didn't let him. I knew I wasn't ready for America's Next Top Model but I didn't look that bad.

"Its too early for this." Annabeth snapped walking out the front door of the Big House carrying a backpack over her shoulder and one in her hands. Which she handed to Percy.

"And that blessing is more like a curse," Piper came teetering up behind Leo and I had to blink to make sure it was really her. Piper didn't strike me as a Vogue sort of girl but now she was dressed in a white cocktail dress with her hair piled in top of her head in a messy on purpose ponytail. She had on flawless makeup that make her look like a living doll. And she was in a pair of extremely high heels, hence the teetering. "This is a blessing from Aphrodite." she explained gesturing to herself. Where could I sign up for a little TLC like that.

"Oh wow you look..." She held up her hand to stop me from finishing my sentence. I giggled, "All I was going to say was refreshed." I finished. She signed and gave me a smile. I think I'm going to like Piper.

"Ok everyone go down to the Camp Store and get your bags packed. We leave in 30 minutes." Annabeth barked. Oh great I had to pick the mother hen of the camp to take on a quest. She was going to come in handy I knew, but right now I was in a snit of a mood and I guess Annabeth wasn't going to help that.

Everyone else seemed to be sorted on the backpack front. So I was the only one who didn't have a backpack. So I needed to go get sorted.

Piper had a cute Marc Jacobs bag slug over her shoulder that somehow didn't seem to match the questing mood, but hey this was my first one so who was I to point that out to her. Leo had a military issued bag strapped to his bag. It looked old enough to be from World War I and he kept pulling things out of pockets and stuffing them into other ones. I wondered how long he would do that. Annabeth and Percy had regular school backpacks.

Leo pointed me in the direction of the camp store.

I wandering off in the direction that Leo had pointed me in when Dallas and Arizona just materialized in front of me. I back peddled before I ran into them. "Oh geez don't do that!" I squeaked out.

The elvish girls blinked simultaneously at me. "We have something for you daughter of Zeus." I knew they could speak as individuals but it was still a kick to hear them talk as one person. Dallas held out a thin silver cylinder. There was a carved grip in the center. She nodded for me to reach for it and when I gripped it the end of a bow bloomed out into my hand.

"Holy strawberries Batman." I yelped. The entire bow was made of silver, but it wasn't heavy like you would expect. It felt light as air in my hand. "Where did you get this?" I questioned looking at the bow from different angles.

"Our father gave it to us and told us we would know who to give it to." Arizona explained.

"Who's your dad?" I couldn't remember if they had told me or not.

"Apollo." they answered. "Our real names are Stacey and Lacey by the way." Dallas told me with a smile and a impish wink. They waved me on as they turned to head wherever it was they were headed.

"Wait where are the arrows?" I called.

They turned to look at me. "You are the daughter of the master of the lightening bolt." They answered. They didn't give me time to work that out in my head before they disappeared behind one of the cabins.

I looked at the bow in my hand, "Naw that can't be right." I muttered to myself as I looked over the bow. It caught the gleam off the sun like a new nickle. The twins must have just polished it only a few seconds ago. Greek symbols were etched on the bow and I had to blink when they didn't swim around. I could actually read it without beating my head against the desk. "Don't forget your earrings." It read.

Huh?

My earrings. I reached up and fingered the tiny silver lightening bolt earrings. My birthday present from my dad. As I drew my hand down from fingering my earring, an electric charge shot down my arm and out my fingers. I was brimming with energy. I felt a compulsion so I drew the bow up and energy arced out into the shape of an arrow and fit into the nook of the bow. I grinned and pulled back on the string. I let the arrow loose. It jumped from my bow with an electric hum and leapt into the air.

It thwacked into a tree. The arrow wobbled from the impact for a minute and I frowned. "That's.." The rest of that sentence scrambled down my throat as the tree imploded knocking me back a few feet. The sonic boom rippled through the entire camp. HOLY PUDDING CUP!

Campers and satyrs spilled out of cabins and training areas. "Oh what the bloody hell can't a goddess get some sleep around here?" Enyo growled as she slinked onto with a pair of Daisy dukes and a tub top. Was she supposed to be dressing like that at a camp with kids? She glared at me as if she knew I was to blame for the burning tree.

"What?" I asked with a shrug. I rolled my shoulder and the energy seemed to seep out of me. I sagged with relief and I would have fallen over if someone hadn't caught me. I felt woozy and light headed. "I'm ok." I mumbled to whoever had caught me. I looked around and it was Travis. One of those Hermes twins.

"That was wicked. Whatever it was I want two of them." He grinned.

I grinned back. "I think its a limited edition." He giggled and held onto my elbow as wood nymphs ran around trying to put the tree out. I really hoped I hadn't set one of their trees on fire. The chaos died down when the tree was put out.

"Get back to whatever teen drama you were doing. Nothing to see here." Enyo shooed everyone away. A few campers threw me looks like they knew I had made the tree explode. It was true, but they didn't have to look at me like they knew that.

I thanked Travis for catching me and actually headed to the camp store. Conner was grinning at me from behind the counter. A Hermes twin were manning the store. How the frack the off spring of the god of thieves get the cashier's job at the camp store was way beyond me.

It probably wasn't in my pay grade.

"We got what you need we got what you want Dillon. We are a one stop shop." Conner said with a mischievous grin.


	16. Its Raining Demigods

I giggled at Conner. It was nice to have him and his brother around to keep the smile on my face. There was enough doom and gloom to choke or horse. I was going to keep them handy. He shooed me away from the counter and I started to wander through the store looking for things I thought I would need for a quest.

Though to be honest I wasn't too sure what the hell one needed to pack when they went on a quest. I mean there wasn't a Real Housewives of the God on Bravo or anything so I was sort of new to this questing crap. I was going to hedge my bets on no hot showers with jets and a steam room on this quest.

So I was going to need stuff to keep me sane and from wrapping my hands around someone's throat. I grabbed a bag of peanut butter M&Ms, my candy coated lifeline, like seriously and a toothbrush. I didn't care if the world was going to go to Tarturus in a hand basket I was going to have my sugar fix and minty breath. I dropped a travel sized tube of toothpaste, no use trying to kill people with my bad breath. Bad breath was worst than a bad hairdo if you asked me. Yick!

I grabbed a can of pringles as well. I looked in my basket and I was satisfied with everything. So I walked back up to the counter.

"Are you going on a quest or a sleep over with the girls in the Aphrodite cabin?" Conner asked as one of his blonde eyebrows rose.

I glared at him and dropped my basket on the counter, "Well then tell me what I'm supposed to take on a quest. In case you missed the twitter update this is my first quest." Why did everyone expect me to be an expert at everything already. This was my third damn day!

He grinned. Sarcasm didn't seem to be his Kryptonite. "Never been on a quest I get that, but common sense you do not lack." He tapped a slim finger against my gelled up helmet of a hairdo. "It seems that you would pack oh I don't know knives, weapons, things that explode. You know the things that kill monsters." I frowned. I hated when someone made a good point and I didn't have snappy comeback.

"I've got a bow." I told him lamely.

"Well bravo for you." He added a ziplock bag of some wafer thin squares into my bag and I gave him a quizzical look. He pulled out the ziplock bag. "This is ambrosia and this," He pulled out a sports bottle with a squeeze top, "Is nectar. If you're hurt it will be the only thing keeping you out of ending up as a garden gnome for Hades. Don't take too much. Otherwise we will be sweeping up your ashes for days." I nodded solemnly and watched him place the stuff back into my bag. "And here are some drachmas from the Hermes cabin." My mouth dropped open as he slid gods to honest gold coins across the counter towards me.

"Are you serious?" I asked him not daring to touch the gold. I mean me and my mom weren't on skid row or anything I didn't go to sleep thinking about money, but we didn't get the invites to the Rockefeller Christmas party either. And those gold coins looked like they could buy enough iPods for me to download the whole world.

Conner nodded, "Its been a long time since we had a Zeus kid around. You guys make everything interesting." He winked and motioned for me to take the coins. I did. I slipped them into my front pocket.

"Thanks." I whispered. I had just met these kids and already they have been nicer to me than the brats I had been going to school with for almost a year. It was very telling of the caliber of the modern day brat. Conner gave me a wink and I walked out of the camp store.

I did take my sweet little time walking back to the rest of the group. I was still really nervous and frankly I was used to being on my own most of the time and as nice as everyone was being to me I needed my alone time. And since I wasn't getting my alone time when I went to sleep, thank you very much Gaia, I had to get in my me time. Otherwise I was going to rip someone's throat out and bath in the blood. Well not that dramatic, but you get the picture. It would take the combine effort of all the gods if I got worked up. It wasn't pretty. It was a rapidly chilling day despite the bright high riding sun. I zipped up my hoodie up to the spot where I was praying to Aphrodite she would let my breasts come in. Don't kill me dad. So far she hadn't answered my prayers. Maybe I needed to add in a bit of that new Victoria Secret perfume or something.

I took a few deep breaths and picked up the pace. Everyone was waiting for me back at the Big House. They were a motely crew of teenagers. All of them had been on quests before and looking at them they all had a relaxed air of old hands that I wished I could mimic. Annabeth and Percy were in a knot together with their heads together. I gathered their conversation was a bit more intimate than the quest from the way their eyes were smoldering at each other. The heat Annabeth was giving off was warming me down to my toes and I slid my zipper down a notch. Piper was trying in vain to tug her hair out of that intricate updo her mother had bestowed upon her. Leo was as usual twiddling with gadgets and gizmos that he kept pulling out of his pockets. But none of it was the nervous energy I was giving off. It was a practiced ease and I envied it. Would I look like that if I lived through this quest?

Would I live through this quest?

I slipped into the straps of my book-bag and put on my Brooklyn mean girl face and saddled up to ride this horse hard and put it away wet.

There didn't seem to be anything else to do. They all turned and looked at me and I finally made it over to them. I stopped short and stared back, "What." I hoped I didn't have toothpaste on my face or anything. I would kill Conner and Travis if they had let me walk around with crusty toothpaste on my face all morning. That would just undermine all the mean girl realness I had been working on.

"This is your quest Lady Lightening," Leo quipped as he twiddled away with a set of pipe cleaners pulled from his numerous pockets. A giggle squeaked out of my mouth before I could stop it, and let me tell you this black girl blushed because of it. Piper giggled too and it made me feel better.

But back to our regularly scheduled program.

Oh great. Who the hell put me in charge. "Um ok." Don't show any fear. Be strong. Kick some butt. You are the daughter of the king of the gods. You are fierce! "Let's go." Tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it. Ah hell.

Was the only thing I could think of? And yeah trust me it sounded just as lame coming out of my mouth as it did in my head. They didn't seem to mind my lame attempt at a rallying cry as they all fell into step with me as we walked back up the hill toward the road. "Oh um Zeus told me last night to go see my mom before we leave." I didn't want them to think that I was being a big old baby and I needed my mommy to hug me or something before I marched off to my death.

"They may be lousy parents but their advice when it comes to quests shouldn't be ignore." Percy offered. Like seriously could someone please clone him or something. The guy had to have some serious flaw he was hiding really well, because right now he was the greatest guy ever.

"Great Day for a quest huh?" I stopped when I heard the voice. I had to keep myself from hyperventilating as I turned around to face Nico. He had stepped out of a ribbon in the sun. There weren't any shadows today. The rest of them kept walking on up towards the road as I stayed behind to talk to Nico. The grapevine at Camp Half Blood was a alive and well. I didn't even need to ask for a few minutes alone with Nico. I didn't want any of them to have a front row seat to one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. Nico seeing me naked was already my number one and his front row seat to that even was bad enough.

I opened my mouth to let him have it and I found I couldn't form the words. In fact I didn't know what to say. This was new territory for me. I wasn't going to be stupid enough to say that I didn't have some feelings for Nico. He did make my heartbeat jump. He looked up at me with those dark eyes of his and my knees did go a bit wobbly, but I held my ground. "I'm sorry about last night Dillo. I honestly didn't know you were in the shower. Something about heat signatures or something throws off my aim." A hint of color was rolling up his cheeks. He was telling the truth.

I relaxed my Brooklyn mean girl mug a bit. At least to show him I was listening to him.

He sighed. I hoped he didn't think I was going to let him off that easily. "I like you ok. That's what you've ben waiting for me to say isn't it." He dropped his gaze and shuffled his black Vans.

I let my arms drop to my side and finally let the mean girl mug slip off my face. If I were being honest with myself I could never hold the look too long without a real cause. What can I say it was my defense mechanism. "Well you did climb into my bed and..." I started to tell him.

"What. You think I was trying to.." He blanched. And for a kid that was already the color of white marble that was a feat indeed. "That I wanted that?" He took a step back from me. He didn't look ashamed, he looked...guilty.

"Oh my god no!" I squeaked as my body went into a full blush. My heart skipped a couple of beats and then went off to the races. Holy pudding cup. Nico wanted to...with me...If I didn't think I would suffer for it later I wold pull a Scarlett O'Hare and faint dead away. I mean my boobs were still in hiding and I was a bit on the skinny side, and he was around all those athletic girls with the killer bodies that could slay dragons before breakfast and he wanted to do grown up things with me. I'm only 15 should I be worrying about things like that right now? I'm not sure what scared me more the fact that someone wanted to...or the fact that I was thinking about it.

And now its time to change the subject.

"All I was going to say Nico was that you came to me to kiss me like our plane was getting ready to crash. And I don't go around doing that all the time you know." I pointed out. Oh great that was the perfect subject changer. The color returned to his cheek real fast as a blush blazed up his face. Someone should really do a case study on this place. I had never blushed so much in my life or caused another person to blush like that.

Nico had captured my first kiss, and it had been a great one. One that I was going to go into the after life rehashing again and again just for the simple delight of remembering his cool lips against mine. I shivered and blushed. Ahh hell. I was crushing on Nico. Son of Hades. And I had a sick feeling Leo was crushing on me. This was going to turn into a cluster crap fest.

Nico finally lifted his head to look at me, "So what do we do now?" He was asking me? I was as nervous as he was and he was older than me. He was at least 16 shouldn't he sort of know his way around a women's curves by now? Ok alright I still had a lot of curve growing to do, but I was on my way.

I shrugged. What else could I do. I had just had by first kiss three days ago. Boys didn't come with an instruction book. Believe me I asked. So I had no clue what to do here. "You're guess is as good as mine." This wasn't how they made relationships out to be on LifeTime. We both stood there for a few minutes, well I wasn't sure how much time had passed. I wasn't exactly looking at my watch right now. "I have to go Nico." I told him softly.

His head bobbed in acknowledgment. He walked over to me and without warning wrapped his arms around me and bent me back and laid a kiss on me that made the earth move. His lips pressed against mine and I know a sigh of pleasure escaped my lips and my body went limp in his arms. His hand moved down to the small of my back and I wanted it to keep going, but he stopped.

When he finally released me I was panting and flushed, and so was he. "Come back and we can talk about what to do next." He gave me a small smile and stepped back and disappeared back into the UnderWorld.

I stood there looking like a goofball for a few more seconds before I could make my legs move to follow the others and finally starting off on my first quest.


	17. Mother Where Art Thou?

My head was swimming. With all the emotions I was feeling right now it was a wonder I could keep my head above water.

It was a good thing I didn't have far to walk. I wouldn't have been able to think that far ahead to keep putting one foot in front of the other. My legs felt like jelly and my stomach was doing an Olympic worthy tumble routine.

Nico had just kissed me for all it was worth and I'ld be a plucked chicken if I hadn't kissed him back with the same enthusiasm. My second time kissing a guy and it was the same guy. That had to mean something right? Ah hell...it was starting. That point in a sappy romantic comedy where you could see the main characters falling in love and it made you gag on the sugary sweetness of it. I didn't think I wanted any part of that.

But I felt my hand rising up to brush against my lips. It made me smile. My heart was still racing and my palms were sweaty.

Ugh that wasn't sexy. I rubbed my hands against the thighs of my jeans. Maybe that would help. Yep, it did. I knew my lips were on fire as well as my face. If I kept this up I could turn in my black card. Black people shouldn't be blushing this much. I was starting to feel like one of those silly girls in a Brat Pack movie. Not the redhead that always managed to get the boy. The other one. Ally Sheady. I hope that was her name. I wasn't an 80s kid. Thank you Zeus for small favors.

Don't get me wrong I wasn't ugly. And I had enough self esteem to power South Africa. I just wasn't the white girl next door pretty. My ponytail would never flounce and swing behind my head. My cheeks would never be rosy and my lips would never be a perfect pink rose. I wasn't the color of poured milk and I didn't have a little button nose.

I was black girl pretty. My skin was the color of a hershey bar and it was as smooth as the day I was born. I had never had a pimple in my life thank the gods. My boobs were still playing hide and seek. They were tardy to the party, but they had RSVPed so I wasn't too worried about that right now. My hips had sprung out in full force. I knew they could rock a grass skirt like no one's I was sure my butt could pink at passing cars. I had a flat tummy that had more to do with my genes than any effort on my part. I liked food and I loved eating it. I did feel bad for the girls who had to struggle with their weight, but I didn't have an ounce of patient for those waify girls that invented weight problems where there weren't any. They made me want to cram cream puffs down their throats.

I knew there were boys at my old school that I could have dated if I wanted to. Hell they had told me I was dime, whatever that was. Yeah I was short, really short, too short if you asked me. but I had the promise of a killer body coming in already. I thought I was pretty as hell and I would go up against any supermodel in the looks department. The only reason I'm a lame duck without a boyfriend is that I am honest to gods scared.

I've lived with the ripple effects of a love gone wrong. My mom loved my dad. She really loved him, and after her night with him no other man would ever measure up. She didn't even date anyone else. I didn't want that. I wanted my knight in shining armor and I wanted him to stay in my life, and there was no guarantee that would happen. So I had never bothered with boys and relationships. And I was only 13. I had the rest of my life to make mistakes in love if I was so inclined.

But back to our regularly schedule program...I could worry myself sick about the implications of Nico's romance cover kiss later in the comforts of my bed later. I sighed, if I ever made it back to my bed.

I finally crested the hill at the border of Camp Half Blood.

I stopped and took in the sights. The country air was making me feel like a new penny it was so refreshing. City air felt gritty was it went down into your lungs. It filled you up like a home cooked meal.

New York City was laid out at my feet as I stood at the top of the hill. I felt like a tall person for once as I looked out over the city that I loved. The last vestiges of darkness were being rolled back to reveal the city beneath. I could hear car horns and boats horns already. We truly were the city that never slept.

My ragtag Charlie's Angles were waiting for me at the bottom of the hill. It made me smile to think of them as my friends though we had barely had a week together. But they were willing to go on a quest with me and that spoke volumes.

I quickly scrambled down to meet with the rest of the questing gang. Hmmm, that wasn't a very cool nickname. I was going to have to come up with something better than that. So we could get matching jackets later. That was such a joke.

They were waiting for me under the arms of a towering tree. I was shocked that I hadn't noticed that giant tree when I first got to camp. Then again I had fainted and Nico had to carry me into camp, but still who forgot a tree the size of the Sears Tower. Maybe it felt that tall to me because 6th graders towered over me.

I mean I live in New York trees are few and far in-between. Well they exists in Central Park, and in little clumps around the city but I lived in Brooklyn. Brooklyn didn't do trees. We were a concrete jungle of the finest quality.

So when I got a glimpse of this tree and I tell you that it was the biggest tree I had ever seen take it for face value.

I knew I was a short little thing so the tree probably wasn't all that tall but standing underneath it I felt like I was Adam Ant. Minus the helmet. The branches ballooned from the tree as if they were actively trying to run away from the tree. They offered considerable coverage. However, the lowest branch came up to my waist. The bark was a chocolate brown with very few cracks. The green of the leaves were the greenest I had ever seen. It was like all other greens were patterned after the green of this tree. It might as well have been the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden it was that beautiful.

My face scrunched up as I saw a yellow towel was draped over the lowest branch. Never mind the huge reptile that was curled around the bottom of the tree. Not thinking that the overgrown reptile could swallow me in a single breath. Yep I was officially crazy.

My eyes were fixed on the yellow towel.

At least I thought it was a towel till I got closer to the tree. I felt a deep hum of something vibrating through my hair follicles. It made my toes start to wiggle in my shoes. I mean I could feel the vibrations of the air moving through the trees. If I had to name it I would call it magic, but that was such a human term to what I was feeling. If felt like the beginnings of times and the end of all things. That feeling had the ends of my hair tingling. I felt like I had just drunk a Red Bull. I giggled for no reason and everyone looked at me. "Can't you feel that?" I asked them. Surely they were getting more of that feeling since they had been here longer than me.

None of them seemed to be as bubbly as I was being around this yellow towel.

Piper gave me a funny look, "Feel what?" she had finally managed to yank out a bobby pin. She quickly tucked it into her bag and went to work on another one. Hell was going to freeze over before she got them all out. I thought she looked great, but who was I to point that out to her when she was determined to look like a hobo supermodel.

I could feel the magic wavering off the yellow towel like heat from the pavement. "Magic." I told them simply. They all stared at me. "Kinda like when the gods pop up. That air shimmers and you can feel it." I said trying to explain to them what I was feeling. They just kept staring at me.

Ok...

"Dillon you can feel that?" Annabeth asked me. "When the gods appear I mean." Her storm cloud eyes were peering at me like I was a science experiment. I tried to keep from squirming under her gaze.

I nodded. And she chewed on her bottom lip, but she didn't say anything.

Ok this was scaring me. But the towel pulled my eyes away from Annabeth. The towel was as thick as one of those old fashioned quilts that Southerns are always knitting or something. But the color was deeper and richer than a kindergarteners' yellow. It was honest to gods gold. I rocked back on my heels, "Is that real gold?" I asked.

Percy nodded. "The golden fleece." He said simply. He said it so flippant that it took a minute for it to register with my brain. Good thing I wasn't going to need my brain for an emergency thinking.

My mouth formed an O. No sound came out as the implications hit me. This was THE golden fleece. "Oh well when you put it like that." I added dryly. I stepped away from the fleece as the humming magic was starting to make me itch.

And that fact that I was the only one that could feel the very magic that made the yellow towel the golden fleece was making me feel a certain sort of way. I guess I was going to have to get used to the fanciful and the mythical happening around me on a daily basis. This was going to take a lot of me staying calm to not freak out and run around naked howling at the moon. Not that I've ever done that mind you...

I turned from the golden fleece and tried to push it out of my mind.

I could see a car coming up the road. It was kicking up dust something fierce, and I was really hoping it was our ride. I wasn't sure how we were supposed to get where we needed to go. I sure as hell didn't fancy walking anywhere. Damn I didn't even know where we needed to go. Other than to see my mom before we left. My heart melted like ice cream on a hot summer day. And that thought made me smile. The car turned out to be a huge Excursion, that was a bit redundant I know. Once it rolled to a stop we all piled in and we were off.

I hadn't paid a whole lot of attention to where we were but I finally saw that we were on Long Island. I figured we were with the whole beach meeting with Zeus, but it was nice to see the outside world again. I sank back into the plush leather. A cozy cocoon. I found myself wiggling my butt further into the folds. I closed my eyes for just a second of deep reflection.

I didn't know I had fallen asleep till Leo shook me gently awake. I really hoped I hadn't drooled or anything. I did have the tendency to drool when I was in a deep sleep. It was embarrassing to say the least. We were in front of Grand Central Station. "I live in Brooklyn you know." I yawned as I tumbled out of the SUV. Somehow my arm had gotten wrapped up in the seatbelt. "Ah crap," I said catching myself on the door my butt barely an inch from the ground.

My face was burning as I righted myself.

Everyone else got out of the car a little more gracefully. This was not a good start to the quest. And I certainly wasn't looking like the fearless leader I was supposed to be. I wasn't feeling like Xena yet, I felt more like Urkle when he got that little red car...

"Thanks Argus." Piper said reaching up to start work on another bobby pin. That girl was nothing if not persistent.

The driver nodded to her and I chocked back a shriek as an eye on the back of his neck winked at me. It was a brilliantly blue eye. I nearly swallowed my tongue as I tried to let out another squeak.

Argus disappeared back into the car before I could get a real good look at him. The car slipped back into traffic without so much as a whisper. Now that was true talent in New York traffic. I could barely walk down the sidewalk without tripping over my own shoelaces.

It was early morning. The sun was still struggling to peek around the Empire State Building. But this was New York. The sidewalks were already teeming with commuters and tourists. The commuters were dressed for battle. They donned long trench coats covering expensive power suits. In their hands they wielded ultra sleek umbrellas that were lashing out at slow moving bike messengers weaving in and out of the throng. Pounding the pavement with their high heels and Brooks Brothers loafers they drove a beat that was the lifeline of the city. The smog chocked air rustled their severe ponytails and goatees. They were moving with a purpose, and I loved watching them. No one moved like a New Yorker. We walked as if we owned the world and the rest of the world knew it. Even being on Long Island made me homesick for the city. It just wasn't the same. It might as well have been West Virginia.

I loved tourists too. Don't get me wrong, but it was just in a different way. Sort of like how you tolerated that one annoying cousin that liked to follow you around and pepper you with silly questions about bras and lipstick. Yes I'm still upset my ten year old cousin was wearing a bigger than me. She's only ten!

Ok back to our regularly scheduled program.

It wasn't hard to spot a New York tourist. Even when they tried to hide the fact that they were tourist because they were scared of making themselves a target for criminals. Last I checked, criminals tended to be equal opportunity thieves.

They represented every creed and color on the planet and the more exotic the locale the more flavorful the dress. I loved seeing the people from Africa in their bold finery. They strutted looked like peacocks displaying their tail feathers. Or maybe it was the Middle Eastern girls covered head to toe with their soulful eyes taking in everything like it was the first time they had seen a car. I loved seeing their round eyes open wide in amazement. You would be surprised how interesting a pair of eyes can be on a person when nothing else was visible. The French tried to be as snooty as New Yorkers but they didn't have enough swag to pull it off without looking like turd brains for it.

The tourists were always so excited to be in New York. I think they thought it was the nexus of the universe or something. Which it was, but it was just nice to be noticed.

The looks on their faces always made me proud to be a New Yorker because I got to live in the Nirvana they could only dream about visiting. And they took pictures of any little thing. Tons of pictures. Half of the lights in New York were camera flashes. It helped to cut down on the electricity.

The took pictures of the pretzel vendor yelling at a turbaned cab driver, or the pigeons pecking away at each other over the last piece of bread on the sidewalk. Sometimes they managed to stop a New Yorker to take picture of them. We New Yorkers have a certain style that was hard to immolate if you were from Montana or something. It was our cross to bear.

"Are you done daydreaming?" Annabeth asked popping a hand on her hip. I had to hold my eyes open in a shocked expression to keep from rolling my eyes. Was she always such a mother figure?

"Yeah," I had to keep my attitude in check. I saw what she could do with a sword. I tightened the strap of my messenger bag so it wouldn't bump against my butt as we turned to head over to the subway to head to my house. Percy moved like a New Yorker so we lead the way. Well he lead the way. I was content to follow him. Leo had a hard time keeping up as his eyes darted back and forth across the landscape in a rapid fashion. I didn't know how the boy got anything done. He always seemed to be in motion. Even his hair liked to dance a little jig around his head when he wasn't paying attention. I had to keep stopping just to make sure he knew where we were headed.

The boy would be lost without me, I swear. We made it down to the subways, and Annabeth got real twitchy real quick. It shocked me. I tugged on Piper's sleeve. "What's up with her?" I whispered. Since I was talking to the other girl I was sure she knew who I meant.

Piper looked over at Annabeth, "She had to go down into the Labyrinth a few years ago. She doesn't like tunnels too much now." Piper had dislodged another bobby pin. The girl was an expert. I nodded.

I know it was low class of me but I was a little happy that there was something that scared Annabeth. Not that I wanted to be top dog at camp or anything. I knew my place and I stayed in my lane, but if something could keep Annabeth in check at least I had a chance of catching up to her. I was tired of being an ugly duckling. Not in beauty but in stunted growth. I mean Annabeth had boobs already.

I know, I know. I'm a bit obsessed with boobs. One would think I was a 17 year old boy with duct taped glasses and bad acne, but I just wanted mine to sprout forth already.

Most of the commuters were heading uptown so the downtown train wasn't as packed and we were all able to find seats. Piper was still focused on her hair. Percy was holding Annabeth's hand and running his thumb over the back of her hand in a familiar way. I was struck with the thought of me and Nico doing that one day. I wasn't sure Nico was the hand holding type and to be honest I doubted I was.

Leo was snickering over a small robot walking across the palm of his hand and making rude gestures to the other passengers. A group of brawny boys didn't seem to be appreciating the show. The big one in the center was cracking his knuckles.

I nudged Leo with my foot, "If you want to keep that pretty face you better stop." I warned him. He caught on too late. The group of boys were towering over him.

"Think that little toy is funny?" The big one had eyes so set back into his face they disappeared when he spoke. It as like looking into a dancing potato.

"Not as funny as the stupid look on your face." Leo said tucking his gadget into one of his many pockets. It would take a whole day to count how many he had squirreled away in that jacket of his. Leo snickered at his own joke and the boy snatched him out of his chair by his jacket collar. Leo squealed and the rest of the potato gang roared with laughter.

I got out of my chair. "Now see I was going to let you walk away and then you had to put your hands on my friend," I crossed my arms over my chest and gave them the full Brooklyn treatment. My thin eyebrow was raised and my mouth was set in a deep frown.

Leo was dangling helplessly in the air. The muscles in Percy's jaw was clenching, but Annabeth was holding him back. Maybe she was hoping I could dissipate the situation before it got nuclear. The boy dropped Leo who hit his head on the chair on the way down. His eyes rolled back into his head and he slipped into a loopy sleep. "What's a cute thing like you going to do to stop me from kicking his ass?" The rest of his gang backed off a pace and allowed Potato Man the room to swing on me if he so desired. And they say chivalry is dead.

I gave him an evil smile, "Something like this." I balled up my fist and stepped into a punch aimed at his gut. My anger flared up something fierce and an arc of electricity raced down my arm and landed in my balled up fist. The energy crackled in my hand and added the extra weight to my swing. Potato Man folded like a sack of old laundry. He literally slide across the subway car floor into the door.

I swear Tweety Birds flew around his head in lazy circles. His gang was looking at me in awe and shock as I looked down at my fist in amazement. I recovered quickly and glared at them. "Anybody else want to mouth off?" I cracked my knuckles and they all scattered as fast as roaches running from the glare of fluorescent lights. One even made for the door like we weren't barreling under New york City in the subway.

I snickered as they ran off, but the laugh fell off my face as I remembered Leo. "Ah crap." I rushed over to him kneeling down to check on him. Piper and Annabeth were right behind me.

"Is he alive?" Piper asked. Though she sounded a tad annoyed. I cupped Leo's cheek and felt his face flush under my hand.

"All I had to do to get fawned over by a gang of beautiful girls was get beat up?" he groaned. I grunted and snatched my hand away as his eyes fluttered open. "It was worth it." He was able to push himself up. Percy helped him back into a seat and I sat next to him.

"That was classic back there you know." I said. He rubbed his neck. There were four meaty handprints wrapped around his neck. I was guessing the thumb print was on the back of his neck. I didn't realize how hard that guy had ben squeezing him. "You ok?" The rest of the group drifted away to leave me and Leo alone. I wasn't sure why that was. I figured everyone knew about the late night kiss me and Nico shared.

Leo flashed me a 75 watt smile and shrugged. "I bounce back faster than a Spaulding chica." He answered. I nodded and we sat in silence on the way to my house.

I started hyperventilating when we finally walked up to my apartment building. It was a mud colored pre-war brick building with a red awning shielding the sidewalk from the elements. The building boasted 20 floors and underground parking. I honestly didn't know a city girl would need to drive. I knew every crack and crevice of my building. The first time I broke my nose was skating across the marble floor.

We didn't have a doorman. We were too downtown for that.

The gang followed me into the building and up to my apartment. I pulled my key from around my neck and opened the door. "Mom I'm ba...," The rest of the sentence died on my lips, but a little sob managed to roll out.

My home was in shambles. It could have been the crowing jewel in the refugee home tour show.

I took a few steps into the apartment. My boots crunched on the bits of glass. No one else followed me into the house. Every piece of furniture was torn to shreds. The couch that me and my mom picked out at a flea market in Chelsea lay in various pieces carelessly tossed around the living room.

Stuffing and feathers floated through the air like they owned the place. The dining room table that my great-grandfather built and passed down was upturned like a struggling beetle with its legs missing.

All the glass, even the windowpanes were shattered. It crackled under my feet as I walked further into the apartment. My mom would have a fit to know I had just walked on glass.

Deep gouges littered the floorboards and the walls. They were deep and jagged. I shuddered to think what made those marks. I remembered that hell hound that had chased me and Nico out of the apartment. But that beast couldn't have done that. It chased us out onto the street. Nico was sure the hound was after me.

So what had did this?

Blood splattered the walls and pooled on the floor. Well I hoped some of those stains were blood. "What happened?" I whispered trying to blink away the tears as I tried to take in the ruins of my house.

My legs gave out on me and I would have crashed to the floor if Leo hadn't caught me. They should really change my name to Fainting Kate at this point. "Where's my mom?" I whimpered. The tears tumbled down my face in a fast torrent of grief.

I didn't care if they saw me crying. "Is she here?" Percy tore through the house looking for her and it made my heart squeeze. Leo held me close. Closer than a friend should have been holding me. His heart was racing faster than mine. It was thumbing against my cheek. I couldn't bring myself to push away from him. I was just coming into my feelings for Nico. I didn't even want to make room for Leo's kilowatt smile. Ah hell I was turning into one of those girls.

Percy came back into the room holding my mom's pink bandana. There was blood on it.

I don't remember screaming, but I felt the air whoosh out of my lungs. Leo and Percy switched places. Seriously was there a Great Guy handbook these two were working from? "Shhhh Dillon. She's not dead. She's not dead." But he let me get my entire scream out before he gently shook me back into my senses.

I blinked through the tears to make sure I was really seeing him and this wasn't some surreal apparition of my grief stricken mind. "Where is she." My voice came out small and airy. I sounded the part of the 8 year old I looked.

He unfolded the bandana and I saw a short message scrawled in black Sharpie. "Do as you're told and she won't get sent back in pieces." The message was as ugly as the handwriting, My stomach rolled. Piper squealed scattering everyone as I threw up my breakfast, lunch and dinner from the last week.


	18. Gaia Complicates Things

I don't remember passing out, and I don't remember how I ended up back in Gaia's glade either. I was really getting tired of being yanked around who knew where at the whim of people I was really starting to dislike. I looked around and really regretted passing out. It was the green knoll of contentment it had been before. This was like Road Warrior green grass had been thriving hard cracked earth now lay. Sort of like what happens to my skin in the winter time if I forget to use baby oil gel after my showers. Geesh, black people required a lot of maintenance. The trees stood like skeletal copies of themselves. They towered over me like macabre cheerleaders getting ready for a rowdy routine. There weren't any animals stirring or chirping.

And simply for S&G's I was dressed in a pure white Grecian gown with a laurel woven through my hair. For a split second I wondered how I looked, but my surrounding brought me crashing back down to Earth, or wherever in Tartarus I was. I shivered as I looked around. This place was really starting to scare me and I hated being scared. It was as bad as being one of this silly girls in the horror movie that just screamed while the monster rain at them with a chainsaw.

If Gaia was trying to send a message to me I was getting it loud and clear. And it was pissing me off.

"Gaia," I growled. "Where the hell is my mother!" I screamed stamping my foot. Which would have been effective if I had my boots on, but I was wearing gold sandals with the straps snaking up my leg and under the gown. "Oh this is ridiculous." I popped my hands on my hips and waiting for Gaia to show herself.

A crystal laugh rang out it. I whirled around looking for the source. I know it was Gaia. Before her laugh would have made me smile and beg her to hear it again. Now it made my skin crawl. "You think you little tantrum stirs me mortal?" I turned around again, but she wasn't there. "I am the mother of the Heavens."

"Yeah, yeah and I'm a puny little girl. I get it so can we get on with this. I want my mother." The ground under my feet shifted. I had to staggered back to keep myself upright. "Oh sure throw an earthquake at me as you hide in a tree or something." Now you maybe thinking that I'm trying to be a badass, but I'm not. Though I do think my derriere is pretty awesome thank you very much, but I tend to digress into sarcasm as a default emotional state. So while I was scared witless on the inside, on the outside I was being a sarcastic little twit.

The ground rumbled again and Gaia appeared in front of me. I guess she was dropping the loving parent act now. She didn't look like a sun-kissed goddess anymore. Gaia looked like rotting garbage with a gapping maw. I recoiled back from her. She laughed again. "Am I not pleasing?" she sneered. A flurry of roaches ran from under her moving dirt dress and scattered.

This was not how I wanted to spend my time while I was passed out. "You look nasty." She glared at me and I stuck my tongue out at her. What? She asked. "Where is my mom?" I was getting real tired of asking.

"What makes you think I have her?" A vulture swooped down and landed on her shoulder. Oh that was just fitting. Now all we needed to do was cue that Lucifer music and we would have a blockbuster hit on our hands.

"I am getting real tired of being jerked around by all of you. You took my mother and I want her back or so help me the very pits of Tartrus won't be far enough away from me." I balled up my fists and advanced on her. My brown eyes flashed with a white hot anger I never knew I was capable of feeling. I felt my whole body heating up. Like really heating up. I screamed as the pain tore into me. Gaia rocked back on her heels away from as a blinding light erupted out of me. There was no other way to describe it. It was like the light literally tore out of my body. It was painful as hell, but it kept me from falling over. "Where is My mother!" I yelled. The light got even brighter if there were possible. My eyes popped open. I glared over at Gaia. I'm not even sure if I was still even in my body. This felt like it was happening to someone else.

Gaia's screams added to my own. "It can't be!" she screeched with a pointed claw in my direction.

I woke up screaming and clawing at the covers. But I was back in the real world, and in the remains of my bed.

I was soaking wet and my hair was sticking to my forehead. I groaned and tried to sit up. I just didn't have the energy.

Leo was peering down at me. "Oh for god sake get out of my face." I said pushing against his face. I was too weak to really move him but he got the idea and moved out of my view.

My mouth felt like the underside of a carpet. Right now my head felt like a jack hammer was working its way through my frontal lobe.

"What's wrong." Percy shouted charging into my bed room sending the fallen feathers from my pillow swirling around his feet. I wanted to giggle, but I just slapped my hands over my ears at the sound. Every part of me hurt.

"I don't know. She just woke up screaming." Leo said rubbing his eye where I had poked him.

Annabeth knelt down to look at me. "What happened." she asked in a lowered tone and I wanted to kiss her for not shouting at me.

I leaned back on my hoodie, "Gaia was there, but it wasn't like before. It looked like LA after the aliens attacked it in Independence Day. And..." I didn't know if I should tell them. All of them had gathered in my room to check on me. Piper's round eyes were all filled with concern, she had finally managed in yanking out all of the bobby pins. Her hair hadn't gotten the memo yet because it was still done up in that crazy updo. "I think I hurt her." I said softly.

"What are you talking about?" Percy asking lowering his sword.

"I don't know. I asked her where my mom was and she was acting well you know like a god or whatever, and I got really mad. Well pissed would be the best word. And then my body sort of burped out this light. Iv'e never felt anything like it. It felt like the sun was in my chest and it wanted to get out. I burned Gaia with it. Really burned her " That was the best explanation I could give them. I still had no idea what the hell had just happened.

Of course everyone looked at me like I was crazy, "What do you mean you hurt her? Gaia, like the mother of the Titans. You hurt her." Leo rattled.

"Yeah she screamed and her skin started peeling away." I shrugged which won the most painful noncommittal gesture award from me.

I was met with stunned awe and silence. Even Percy looked impressed. I had to admit for a tiny little moment I was pretty proud of what I had done. Little old me. Dillon Ari Parker had sent the mother of the Titans running away in fear. I felt like a honest to gods bad ass. A ghost of a smile flickered across my face. I only winced slightly at the pull on my mouth.

"Something you did with your body hurt the mother of all the gods?"Annabeth ask with a raised eyebrow. She just had to be a kill joy.

I would have rolled my eyes but the pain from the shrugging thing was still fresh in my mine. I fixed her with a look as I sank back into my hoodie. "That's that I said." I told her. Hell couldn't she have let my ticker tape parade get down Park Avenue before she put the kibosh on it?

She studied me. I rolled over onto my side away from her storm cloud colored eyes. "Let's bunk down here for the night and leave out tomorrow." Percy announced. "Piper and Annabeth you can bunk down in here with Dillon. Me and Leo will take the living room." I was grateful they were staying clear of my mom's room. I heard shuffling and movement. Then the door closed. I turned over to lay in my back with my hands behind my head.

It was my favorite position for relaxing. I didn't fancy going back to sleep and facing Gaia. Plus I was too tired to sleep. You know when you're body is beyond exhaustion, but your mind is running on that hamster wheel and the hamster is pointing and laughing at you. I had no idea what had happened at Gaia's "Terror in the Post Apocalyptic Woods." Well this last few days had been a total cluster screw for me. Not that I minded not having to go back to the Stepford Academy anymore I hated that place, but it had been safe. It made sense. Well in the sense of turning me into a black Barbie doll was a good thing.

Now I had to contend with raging hormones, a maybe boyfriend, a potential stalker, two pissed off goddess and prescription grade daddy issues. My head thumped with all the emotions and information swirling around inside.

There was a knock on the door. I didn't answer. The door swung open anyways. It was Leo. He was carrying a steaming platter of sauteed chicken, onions and peppers with a mountain of flour tortillas with a frosted glass of something I hoped was a Coke.

I promptly sat up and peered at him. "I could kiss you right now." I smiled at him. Which earned me a bright blush out of him. I realized what I said and like clockwork a blush flared up on my face too. "I just meant that my stomach is really happy right now. You know after you throw up it makes you hungry." Oh great. That was a great recovery. I mentally kicked myself, which earned me a slight wince of pain.

His smile hitched up a notch as he sauntered into the room. My desk was still intact and that was where he deposited the food. He set about fixing my two fajitas with a tenderness that pulled at my heart strings.

Stop it!

I was not going to be one of those girls kissing one boy while pinning after another. That was not going to be me. For whatever reason Nico had gotten to the plate first. Well hell what was I a trophy to be put on someone's mantle? I rolled myself at myself and was glad that Leo's back was too me so he wouldn't think it was in response to anything he was going. This was all me.

I clamped down on my hamster wheel. Thinking like this was surely going to give me a right headache. Leo finished fixing my foot. I patted the bed next to me. "Anyone who brings me fajitas gets to sit on the expensive sheets." I told him.

The bed barely moved when he sat down. The boy probably weighed two pounds more than I did, but where I was lithe he was wiry. "You scared me back there." He said softly after I had bite into the chicken fajita.

I moaned softly as the food hit my tongue. It was heaven in a flour tortilla. My mom was a proficient cook. She cook boil an egg, toast some bread and pop the top on a can of Coke. She never gave me food poisoning like some of the other kid's moms when they click clacked into the kitchen with their Jimmy Choos on. But an Iron Chef Kelis Parker was not. The chefs at the Stepford Factory were pretty decent too, but none of them had anything on this gooey slice of heaven sitting warmly in my hand. I could taste the tangy marinade on the chicken mixed with the slight heat from the vegetables. The ratio of meat to veggies was perfect. I didn't know my eyes had closed in rapture till Leo poked me in the ribs and I had to open them to look at him. "What did you say?" I slurred. You would have thought I was on drugs or something from the effect the food was having on me.

He watched me for a second, "You scared me. I thought you were being hurt." This time he didn't blush, but his eyes told the real story of his pain. I was rocked back against my headboard at the depth of his emotions.

I couldn't leave him in such pain. I reached out with my free hand and grasped his. His body let go of the tension as his squeezed my hand back. "I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't really know what I was doing you know." I pointed out. It wasn't like I had planned on charbroiling myself. Nor had I planned on burning Gaia in the process.

That was just a happy bonus.

One I wanted to repeat. Over and over again if she didn't give me my mother back. That heifer was going to wish she could go back to sleep for the rest of time if I didn't get my mom back in every single piece with a smile on her face.

"I know you didn't want to talk in front of Annabeth. She can be like you mom that way, but what happened?" he leaned back against my headboard and scooted closer to me. He hadn't let go of my hand. Ah hell.

I took another bite of my food and I chewed slowly. My heart was thumping in the hand that was holding Leo's hand, my brain was trying to pull up the memory of that kiss with Nico and my mouth was content to keep on chewing and ignoring everyone.

"It was like there was this light trapped inside my body and it wanted out. I got really pissed off and I couldn't control it. I think Gaia knew what was happening to me because she said 'It can't be' right before she screamed her head off and her skin started burning." I explained around bites of my fajita. I finished the first one. The second didn't have long to wait. I swallowed down a mouthful of Coke. That second fajita soon followed its brother into my mouth. I might have to get him to fix me another one. I believe every girl should have a healthy relationship with food. Mine was good food was good for my tummy and my tummy was happier for it.

Leo let loose a impressive whistle. "I thought Piper and Jason was the bad asses. I think you got them beat. Mind you we managed to kill. Well not kill just dispatch one of Gaia's babies and free Hera. But you actually hurt her. I think that gets you like a statue in Greece or something." He nodded.

I giggled. "As long as I get to wear my boots I'm game for that." Then he giggled.

Some of my nervous tension seeped out of my ears.

After that it actually really nice just sitting and talking with Leo. We went back and forth on various reasons as the how and why I did what I did to Gaia. I don't think we were being serious as the Hulk and Ironman somehow got into the conversation. I hate to admit that I'm a bit of a nerd. I hid it well under my rough and touch exterior. But its there. Just don't go spreading that around.

We laughed and teased each other. It was nice. Really nice.

I moved to get out of the bed to clean up my mess. Leo reached out pulling my slightly on top of him. His eager lips closed the distance between us. I didn't pull back. I let him kiss me.

And I returned the kiss.

It lasted just long enough for me to really enjoy myself and long enough for Nico brooding glare to piece the happy dance my lips were doing. I recoiled back from Leo, my eyes wide.

"Ahh hell," I turned and nearly sprinted out of the room. Piper, Percy and Annabeth nearly jumped out of the skins when I ran through the living and out my front door down onto the streets of New York.

I needed the hustle of the concrete jungle to help me clear my head.


	19. A Trip Down the Styx

I heard someone shout my name, but I kept right on walking. I needed some air, and I needed to be alone to get it. I wasn't going to go far. I just needed to be away from Leo right now. I couldn't think with his warm hands stroking the back of my hand and his puppy dog eyes pouting up at me.

The night had turned chilly and I had left my hoodie upstairs. All I was wearing was two ribbed tees layered over each other. I shivered and wrapped my arms around my body and headed down the street. New York City though it was dubbed the city that never slept it did take cat naps. The sun going down signaled a New York yawn. People were getting off work and either already drunk from Happy Hour and headed home to get ready to head out again. So the streets were relatively deserted.

I didn't follow any path. I just put one foot in front of the other. What the hell was I doing? I had just kissed Leo. Not even a whole day after I had kiss Nico like we were on the Titanic at zero hour. I was turning into one of those girls. The kind that strung two guys along before I put their hearts into a blender and pulsed for eight seconds.

I sighed. The problem was I liked them both, but for different reasons. I liked Nico because he was so cool. Not cool as in the antiquated word my mom used to use when she was a kid. But cool as in his aura. He could lean against a tree with that black sword on his hip and make tree sap look good. His touch against my skin sent rivets of fire through my body. He made me think of things I was sure my mom would have a big problem with.

On the other hand Leo was a walking brown bag of energy. When he looked at you it made you feel like the best person in the world. His touch was comforting and reassuring.

I growled and kicked over someone's bike. "Damnit," I grunted as I stooped down to right the bike.

"It should be against the law for a girl your age to look like that in a pair of jeans," rumbled a deep voice. It took a great effort of will to keep my eyes from rolling up into my skull.

"Look, I've had the worst day ever and if you want to keep your face...," I whirled around and chocked back on what I was going to say. I had never been at a loss of words before. So mark this moment. It may never happen again. He looked like Ryan Reynolds and James Dean rolled into a too small muscle shirt. His brown hair was swept back from his face so I got a eye full of his gleaming veneers. He was leaning against a tree as calm as you please.

The grin on his face shocked me into action. "You're going to need to take out a loan because I charge for looking." There I had redeemed myself. I got to keep my smart ass membership card.

He chuckled and I saw his nipples train painfully against the fabric of his shirt. Did I mention it was already too small for him to begin with. Let alone too small for him to chuckling in it. "I can see the lightening bolt hasn't fallen far from the tree." He pushed off the tree and walked over to stand in front of me. "Apollo," He stuck out his hand.

I blinked up at him a few times. I had gone 15 years without seeing my dad or even knowing that I had another family. Now I was meeting them left and right. I shook his hand. "So why are you here?" I was never a beat around the bush sort of girl.

He chuckled again and I swear a nipple popped through that teeny little shirt. "Well I had to met you. I don't know what you said to Hera but you're all she's been talking about." I didn't buy that for one little second. I had yelled at Hera nearly two days ago, and he was there that night. Standing behind my dad while Artemis and Hermes held onto me.

I couldn't let him know that I was smelling what he was cooking. "Is that so?" I popped a fist on my hip and gave him a lot of attitude. "Did you come down to get some of what Hera got?" My icy quips were at their full strength right now with pictures of Nico's lips and Leo's eyes, but I could still dance with the best of them.

He held up his hands in mock surrender. "No, no dear sister. I just came to meet the myth, the legend that is Dillon Parker. I'm sure Rachel is going to have a field day with you." He winked at me and then popped out of sight.

I growled and stamped my foot. It wasn't right how they could pop in and pop out at well. I whirled around to head back to my apartment. I ran smack the biggest wolf I had ever seen. I mean the thing came up to my freak chest.

I screeched and back peddled as fast as I could. The thing's teeth was a breath away from my neck when I did. I may not be a Superhero with great cleavage and razor sharp fighting skills, but I was one hell of a runner.

And honey I ran like the little girl I was.

I tore off down that street like a bullet out of a gun. I could hear the wind in my ears. I was shivering from the cold so hard I heard my back snap, crackle and pop. The wolf bayed behind me as he kept pace with me. "Screw that." I was not going to turn into kibble in the middle of New York! This was my town.

"You can run Dillon, but we will find you." The voice sounded like it was coming from the wolf chasing me but I sure as hell wasn't going to turn around to check.

"What is this Cheers!" I screamed as I poured on the speed. Suddenly everyone knew my freaking name. I wondered if I was going to be this popular when my birthday rolled around. It was my sweet 16. I did have a few things I wanted.

I should have been prepared for something extraordinary to happen.

As I started to run fast the world around me slowed down. I don't mean I was running that fast that I was outstripping everything. I mean the things around me were moving at normal speed, but I was seeing it in slow motion as I ran. I could have jumped in front of the downtown bus, painted a Picasso, got a manicure and pedicure and made it back to the curb before the tires on the bus made one revolution. It felt like I was running through bubble wrap. I was pushing through the physical world, bending it around me to run faster. Don't you dare ask me how I was going it. I have no earthly idea. I just know I was running my cute behind off.

I couldn't hear my pursuer anymore, but that wasn't about to make me ease up. When something was chasing me I ran. And I was going to run till I was sure I was safe.

I rounded a bend and shot down a one way street. I hadn't heard anything behind me in a while so I stopped to lean against a building. I looked across the street to peep anything that might want to take a bite out of me. It was full dark now, but I could make out a clump of trees in between the passing cars. Well not a clump of a trees an entire forrest!

I blinked as I caught my breath. Well technically I wasn't breathing hard. My body was just going through the motions of my having ran so hard. But I wasn't tired. I hadn't even broken a sweat. I pushed off the wall and tip toed down the street toward the trees.

The closer I got the harder my heart hammered in my chest. It was Central Freaking Park! I had run from Brooklyn to Central Park.

"That was impressive," a cool voice said from behind me. I balled up my fist and whirled around swinging. My fist connected with someone's face. "OW! Dillon!" Nico roared as he staggered back.

"Nico!" You scared me!" I yelled as my heart skipped a few beats. "What the hell is going on!" I yelled. Yep I was going to have a melt down. "First Leo kisses me. Then poof Apollo shows up just to piss me off. Then a giant wolf licks his chops and chases me down. Then you do the creep son of Hades thing. I've had it up to here!" I slapped my hand to my forehead. "Leave me alone!" I screamed till the wind in my lungs gave out.

Nico rocked back on his heels as I yelled. "You kissed Leo?" he asked.

"That's what you took from that!" I yelled at him. "I was about to be dog chow back there!" I took another swing at him, but he ducked under my arm. He grabbed my wrist and twirled around me. He grabbed my other wrist as he went. He pinned both of my arms in a cross over my chest as he stood behind me. I tried to kick back at him, but he spread his legs to avoid my boots. "Let me go Nico!" I yelled. People were looking our way. "Help me!" I yelled. "He's trying to kidnap me!" I struggled against him, but he had me pinned pretty tight. Plus he was nearly 18, and a boy. He had years of fighting the bogey man whereas I had years of fighting the Stepford clones at school.

Guess he was coming out on top. "That's real cute," he leaned back pulling me off my feet. He was heading into Central Park. People were stopping to look at us, but no one was running to my rescue.

New York was going to be New York.

I kept struggling against him. "Stop fighting me." He snarled in my ear.

"Let me go Nico," I snapped back. "You are scratching up my boots!" Bad fashion was worse than death if you asked me. And I heard those ugly robes in the Afterlife was the worse.

He kept us moving deeper into the park. Central Park was beautiful during the day. The natives flying kites, jogging their lives away and riding their Arabian steeds mingled with the tourist snapping pictures. The crisp green color of the leaves, the heady smell of turned earth competing against the smell of the knish stand and the spicy mustard aroma. It was a thing of beauty.

But Central Park at night was a different beast.

Even the cops stop patrolling it. They just turned up when a body showed up. It was New York's homage to Sodom and Gomorrah. Whatever the fetish or the fancy, you could find a peddler in the deep recesses of the park. I was seriously scared. I had never been to the park at night.

Yeah the wolf scared me, but the park put the fear of the gods in my belly. "Nico," I whispered. "This is Central Park. We've got to get out of here." I stopped trying to struggle against him. I didn't really want to ruin my boots. They had cost me an entire month's allowance to buy.

I felt him laugh, but not sound came out. It was a deep rumble in his chest. "I'm not scare of anything in this park. Dillon." He relaxed the grip he had on me. We moved deeper into the forrest. The trees were yawning over us. Well it felt that way to me. Nico was considerable taller than me.

He finally let go of me as we stumbled into a little grove. All the trees stood in a full circle around an old oak. No I didn't know how old it was, but it looked old. Like a grandmother standing in front of a Wal-Mart greeting people. This tree however didn't look the least bit welcoming. I felt something brush against me. My head whipped this way and that way, but I couldn't see anything. It wasn't the feeling I got at the golden fleece. This was something deeper. I could feel the stirrings in my bones. In the very fabric of my being.

"Why did you bring me here?" I whispered.

"Can you feel it?" He asked me.

"What is it?" I felt something slithering up my arms and down my legs. Like ants marching in a straight line all over my body. It was older. Ancient. It knew me intimately. Not like X rated intimately, but it knew the mole on my back and dry scalp at the base of my hair line. I inhaled deeply. It felt good. Whatever it was. I could have stood in the middle of the groove for the rest of my life and been happy as a peach about it.

"The Underworld. This is the east coast pathway to the Underworld." he explained. Nico didn't feel it.

I shook my head, "No its not that. I mean I can feel the Underworld." I walked around the grove. Searching. With what I have no idea. "Its something different." I couldn't explain it.

"Maybe I could offer some assistance." A woman's voice calmly offered.

Not again! I swung around ready for a fight. Nico hand snaked out of the darkness he snatched my wrists in mid swing.

The woman sat on a lonely stump of a tree bathed in silver moonlight. I could feel the power radiating from her body. It waved off her gently. The woman was bone white, and when you are whiter than Nico you are the whitest person I have ever seen. But she didn't look sick like she had one toe in Hospice care. She looked like the color white had been based off her. Her form shimmered slightly.

"And who are you?" It didn't carry the usual heat of my barbed comments. I was too tired.

"I am the beginning, and the end." She replied simply.

My face scrunched up. My brain was too addled for all this cryptic mumbo jumbo. "Look lady I've had one hell of a day and all I want to do is climb into a warm bed and suck my thumb." I heard Nico giggle and I had to surpress a giggle of my own.

"Of all things Dillon I must say you are my favorite creation." Now that got my attention. "I can not stay long." Her image flickered again to prove her point.

"Who are you?" The question came out softer than I had intended, but she heard me.

"I am darkness." She sounded tired. "I was at the beginning of creation, and so will I be at the end." A little shiver went through me. Somewhere deep inside me I knew she wasn't kidding. A smile ghosted across her face, "But that end shall not be at the hands of Gaia." A ripple of cold fury went through her body. "Dillon. Seek out my daughter Hemera. Only she can show you the light." She gave me a sad smile. Then she was gone. No poof or godly wink. She just wasn't there anymore.

"And who the hell is that?" I asked Nico. He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh that's just great!" I was going to lose my voice if I kept shouting at people, and wolves, and no one in particular. I could feel everything pressing down on me. I turned around in circles. "What the hell is going on! I'm only 15!" I threw my hands up, the pressure was starting to build up around my eyeballs. "I got Apollo and his nipples, a strange lady who got front row seats to creation. Now I have to go find some thing named Hemera!" I screamed finally making myself dizzy. I promptly fell over. Sick to my stomach.

Nico knelt beside me placing a cool hand on my back. "Did you really kiss Leo," If my eyes weren't still spinning around in my skull I would have rolled them right in his face.

I pushed him away from me. "You need to work on your priorities." I grumbled once the world righted itself and I could sit back without wanting to hurl up anything left in my stomach.

He grunted and stood up. His gazed hardened as he looked at me. I jutted my chin out defiantly. He wasn't going to scare me in submission. "My dad can help." He finally said once we got done staring each other down.

"Where's your dad?"

"Where do you think he is Dillon. In the underworld." Oh that's just going to be a great end to my day. But I stood up anyways. I dusted off my bottom and checked my boots. They were more or less intact with a few minor nicks here and there.

"You're buying me new boots." I informed him. I waved at him to lead the way. Though my whole body was calling me a moron and screaming for me to catch the train back to Brooklyn.

He nodded and stalked toward the tree in the center of the groove. The roots gnarled at the base of the slipped opening reveling a sinister maw. Yeah I said sinister. We were able to walk into the Underworld of course it looked sinister. "Shouldn't we tell the other where we are going?" I asked walking slowly behind him. I wasn't in the biggest hurry to walk into that scary looking tree.

He shrugged, "Don't have a cell phone to call and the nearest cell phone is on the 5th Avenue side." I just wanted to call someone and tell them where my will was incase I didn't came back from the Underworld.

We reached the opening and Nico slipped in. I took a few deep breaths. I was going into the Underworld. The place where dead people went. I tried to keep my heart from hammering away in my chest, but it was a futile effort. "It's not of never Dillon." I took one last breath and stepped into the tree.


	20. Epic Meltdown of Tartarus Proportions

I was walking into the Underworld. I Dillon Parker was walking into the Underworld. I must be going crazy. My heart was yammering away in my chest as I followed behind Nico.

I had to be crazy, yep I was going crazy. The air was growing colder the deeper into the earth that we went. I thought it was supposed to be warm at the earth's core. Thanks a lot fancy prep school education. Fat lot of good it did in real world applications. Nico was not slowing down and it was all I could do to keep up with him, and I was shivering. I had left my hoodie back home. I hadn't planned on being out in the cold longer than 15 minutes.

This was great! I thought savagely as I followed Nico. I could tell he was upset with me, but frankly I didn't give a rats tail about that. My mind was going in forty million different places and thinking about his ego and feelings was just going to be on the back burner for awhile.

There was no sight nor sound as we traveled to the Underworld. Nico was ghosting through the tunnel. I knew I was stumbling about like a drunken sorority girl at a party, but I was as silent as the grave. It was like life had been swallowed by the black hole we were walking into.

I tried humming a tuneless version of some Beyonce song. Hey, I was a demigod not a pop star. I know I couldn't sing, but it still helped to take my mind off the fact that I was indeed walking into the Underworld of my own freewill.

We past a few skeletons that made me shiver harder. "If I see a zombie I'm out of here," I called out to Nico. He didn't say anything, he didn't slow and he didn't turn around. Boy he was really pissed at me. But I was not going to bow to his pouting. If I lived through any of this we could hug it out later.

I was sure my feet were blistering as we walked. Maybe my choice of footwear was not the best idea, but how was I supposed to know. It wasn't like they sent me a packing list or anything, and I was not going to start whining in front of Nico, but after another mile or so I started limping.

Finally I had to stop. I didn't say anything to Nico, I was sure there was only one way down. It wasn't like we were in danger of getting caught in morning traffic. I slide down and sat on the floor. I knew from watching Man vs Wild that the worst thing I could do was to take my shoes off as I would never get them back on again, but I couldn't help it.

I snatched and yanked at my boots till the right one slipped off and then the left one. The cool temperature of the tunnel was heaven on my boiling and blistered feet. "Why did you stop," Nico growled from further down the tunnel. He turned around and walked back over to me. I was shivering and I couldn't stop. My feet were on fire and I could feel the flame blooming somewhere in the back of my skull.

"I can't walk anymo..." I slumped over and I face planted into the dirt. My last thought was that I was breathing in zombie dirt. And then blessed sleep sucked me under.

For once I got some sleep. No Gaia invading my dreams and scaring the crap out of me. It was a time of floating on clouds and counting the occasional cow. Though they kept turning into pairs of Louboutin boots. Now that was my version of heaven.

I groaned and rolled over on the bed.

I snapped awake. "You're awake then?" I turned toward the sound of the voice. I felt around my body and thankfully I was still wearing my cloths. Thought I felt like someone had driven over me with a MAC truck.

It was a woman sitting in the chair in the corner of the room I was in. The room was a giant box. So I didn't know if it was a proper room or a cell. No door, no windows. I could feel the pressure building in my chest. I hated tiny, enclosed spaces. I took a few deep breaths and focused on the woman talking to me.

She was a beautiful woman with a dark curtain of hair braided down her back. You could see her skin once held a healthy glow, but now it was a pale pallor. It did not detach from her beauty. "Where am I?" I asked not really wanting to know the answer.

"The Underworld. Nico carried you in." The woman said. She stood up and a black gown cascaded down her frame to pool on the floor like black sludge. "If you are feeling up to it Hades would like to see you. Something about getting your autograph." I could tell she was trying to amuse me, but it wasn't working.

I scrambled off the bed and nearly brained myself on the floor. The faster I got out of this room the better off everyone would be. The wall melted forming a doorway. I was itching to bolt out of the door, but I thought it would have been rude. The woman smiled at me and walked out. I followed the woman out of room. It seemed like we were in an black granite palace. The place looked like the Labrea tar pits. And I never liked the place. I hurried after the woman. Her gown was billowing out behind her like a cape, and she was moving like the devil was after her.

It made me turn around to check to make sure there wasn't anyone following us. My sense of direction was terrible, and we were twisting this way and that way. When we walked past the first set of moving skeletons I shrieked and launched myself at the woman. She yelped and nearly jumped up the wall. Let's just say she was not happy about that.

People seem to think I'm supposed to be used to all this stuff. That is an every day occurrence for me to wander around in the Underworld, or to be chased by giant wolves. I am sorry I grew up in Brooklyn and as wild as the place is the only dangerous thing I ever did was to try that new kabob place around the corner.

We walked past a few more moving skeletons, the woman turned and shot me a nasty look that could have put a wart on a tombstone. I took a step back and fought the urge to launch myself at her head and wrap my legs around her neck.

We reached a pair of black doors that were easily the size of a sky scraper. A pair of skeletons in Civil War garb opened the doors for us. We entered into an audience chamber with a roaring fire at the far end. It wasn't a natural orange glowing fire, this fire had a green tinge to the ends, and it burned black. I shuddered.

The woman didn't break a stride as she walked down the length of the room. Nico was leaning against the wall. He watched as I approached, but my eyes were drawn to the man sitting on the throne made of human bones. If I had anything in my stomach I would have puked all over the floor. The woman walked up the dais and sat down in the smaller, more feminine throne next to Hades.

I stopped short of the steps leading up to the throne. No one said anything and I didn't feel inclined to talk, and truth be told my stomach was still debating staging a coup on me and running away.

Nico was his father's son. They had the same brooding look and thick eyebrows, but Nico had laugh lines around his mouth where Hades looked like the thought of laughing made his stomach want to revolt on him. They had the same light eating black hair that curled in the same places.

"So this is Dillon Parker, daughter of Zeus." Hades finally rumbling. His voice sounded like dancing bones doing a jig.

"So you're Hades. King of the dead guys." Maybe that was a tad disrespectful, but she wasn't catching me at my best hour. "Look I get the whole king of the dead thing and you are trying to be spooky, but would it kill you to decorate with something other than rotting meat and bones. I mean seriously am I the only one that smells that?" Nico's eyes nearly popped out of his skull as he pushed off the wall to stare at me like I had lost my mind. And I guess I had.

His bushy eyebrow quirked, "I see why Hera hates you." And then the God of the Underworld threw his head back and laughed. Everyone looked at him as he laughed till sparkling tears ran down his face. Oh great, I had made the King of zombies laugh. I should book a tour on Comedy Central. It tok him a few more minutes to compose himself. "I must say of all my brother's children I like you the most Dillon. I truly do." He wiped a stray tear off his face and flicked it aside. "So you must be here for something. None of you demigods ever come just to visit."

"Maybe if you made the place I don't know a little more inviting we would come for tea or something." I shot back. He shot me a warning look. "Sorry," I sighed. Yeah I was getting a little out of hand. My mom would have stuck her entire leg up my backside if she heard the way I was speaking to Hades. I reined in my attitude before it wrote a check my butt couldn't cash. "I was chased all the way from Brooklyn to Central Park by this giant wolf and when I got there this spirit lady told me I should seek out some chick named Hemera." Hades jumped out of his throne and it crashed against the back wall. Persephone leapt out of her throne to avoid the flying shrapnel. I flinched back. He swept his hand back and one of the columns shattered. Nico scampered out of the way coving his head.

"I take it you know her." I said once Hades had stopped his little tantrum.

He turned his black eyes toward me. I stood my ground. I was growing very tired of everyone thinking they could push me around. I had Nico seething because of a kiss, Gaia sending me horrible vision because she was bat crap crazy, I had vicious wolfs trying to turn me into Dillon kibble and all because everyone thought they we powerful and I wasn't.

Well I was tired of it. I could feel the pressure building somewhere behind my eyeballs. It felt like I had been holding my breath for too long and my lungs were screaming for air. "You want some big guy," I seethed. I felt the pressure dancing across my neurons. I balled up my fist and the pressure raced down my arm. My hands started shaking. I couldn't hold it anymore.

I opened my mouth and screamed like my life depended on it.

The world exploded. First the room seemed to groan as it tried to hold itself together, but the sheer force of my will overrode its feeling for self preservation. The room flew apart like a house of cards. The columns burst in tiny little pin points of black light that danced across my face in a facade of colors. Gems and diamonds of all sizes went careening though the air. Cartier would have given his first born to be in that middle of a gemstone storm. Hades and Persephone tried as they might to stay on their thrones my fury proved to be too much and even they went flying backwards. I wanted to snarl in triumph at the sight.

Nico cartwheeled through one of the walls. I felt bad for that but he deserved it and the sight only fueled my anger more. I stamped my boot down against the floor a mighty crack whiplashed through the floor throwing everything up into the air, but I stayed planted. The place looked like I had thrown it into the spin cycle of my mom's old washing machine.

I screamed till my lungs gave out. Then I sucked in all the air that was available in the room and screamed again. "You want a piece of me." I yelled at no one in particular. Hades tried to get up. The look on his face was naked terror and he was looking right at me. "Scared are you!" I screeched. I flung my hand out at him. He went toppling backwards again. "You think you are all powerful and you can do what you want. Just because I'm a little." I screamed and another crack opened up in the floor. "No more!" A whirling vortex of debris, bones and gods knew what else swirled around me.

I could feel the power pouring through me. I could feel it flowing through my outstretched hands. It felt good. I raised me hands above my head, I wanted to kill something. I wanted to show them who was boss. They were going to fear me.

I felt a cool hand on my shoulder. I whirled around, and it was Nico. He didn't say anything, but the look on his face made my heart skip a beat. His hand warmed on my shoulder.

Everything stopped and I sagged back against him. His arms wound around me and I didn't push away from him. Hot tears flowed down my face and I let him seem them. "I'm sorry," I whispered. I turned into Nico and tried to hide myself in his t-shirt. Honestly who runs around in the Underworld with nothing on but a t-shirt. My body rocked with the violent torrent of emotions that were pouring out of me. Nico shushed me as he stroked my hair. I didn't even notice that it had come out of my ponytail.

Hades and Persephone dug themselves out of the rubble. Persephone looked positively pissed, but Hades was approaching me like I was a rabid dog he was afraid he was going to have to put down. I looked around at all of the destruction my tantrum had caused. I wanted to crawl under a slug and live for a year.

He opened his mouth to speak, but then he stopped. He seemed to be at a loss for words. "Told you I liked this girl," he finally growled. Of all the things I thought he was going to say that had to be like in the top ten of the least likely things he would say.

I gave him a small smile. "Would it help if I said I was sorry." I asked him. I had never been that upset and not after I was spent I couldn't figure out why I had gotten so upset.

Persephone was shaking dust out of her gown, "I think it would help if you left as quickly as possible." Yeah she was royally pissed at me. I couldn't blame her, but I was in no condition to walk under my own power. I felt like a water balloon just bobbing around waiting for someone to stick a pin in me.

Hades nodded as his wife. I couldn't blame him. Happy wife, happy life. Especially considering he had tricked her into the Underworld in the first place. "Well let's hope Hermera is in a good mood." He grumbled as he turned back to me. "She can get a little testy around the solstices." He gave me a wink and motioned for us to follow him. Oh great, I had impressed the king of the dead people. Well as least I wasn't going to become one of the dead people anytime soon.


	21. Will My Real Mother Please Stand Up

Ok I was still alive and in fact I think Hades would be the president of my fan club. That was a good thing, right? Ahh hell. Persephone gave met he evil eye as I followed her husband out of his throne room. Well throne room was a strong word. Fat kids jungle gym was more like it. I bet that will teach them to push me around again, but I did feel about that tantrum.

My mom had taught me better than that and she was be ashamed of how I had just behaved, even if I were justified. I felt a bit wobbly on my feet, but Nico was right at my elbow keeping me steady. I let him. I think we were both making up for our attitudes lately.

His father was leading us down a dark black granite corridor. The air was frosty. I could feel the ends of my hair crackling with ice crystals. I was literally a fudge pop. The floor started to slope down and I got the feeling we were walking to the center of the earth. Still Hades kept walking. He didn't turn back to see if we were still breathing. Even Nico's steps started to slow down. Which was not good as I was using him as support. My vision was starting to blur. My legs were on autopilot as my brain had went on a Fiji vacation about two hours ago.

I was on the verge of dropping and becoming a permanent part of the tour when we finally stumbled into a cavernous room. The ceiling rose up into the heavens. I swear my dad was floating around on a cloud up there, but that just could have been my body searching for my brain in Fiji. The room was big enough to fit China inside and have room left over for North America. It was chilling to stand in a room and not be able to see the sides or the roof. You knew they were there you just couldn't see them. Later I would sit and ponder this, but right now it was all I could do to keep standing and appearing to be functioning.

When my eyes focused I found that we were standing in front of a set of doors. Well doors doesn't do what I was seeing justice. The doors were massive and that was saying something since we were in the world's biggest room even imagined. They glowed not like they were backlight but like the actual material glowed. It was a soft warming light. I wanted to reach out and touch it. I could feel the magic in the doors. It felt like a B-12 shot laced with crack and speed. I shrugged off Nico whom I had to reach out and steady now.

I walked up to stand next to Hades. He turned to look me. His eyes grew wide. "Its only been a few hours since my shower." I snapped. Geez, I didn't look that bad.

"It's not that," He whispered. He shook his head. "Open the doors." He commanded stepping back.

I turned and looked at him like he was crazy. Those doors weighed more than the whole world. Yeah I wasn't tired anymore, but last I checked I wasn't Hercules. "Did you take a blow to the head or something?" I wasn't going to kill myself trying to move the world.

He chuckled, which made the hair all over my body stand on end. Must remember to shave my legs. "Just open the doors Dillon. Daughter of Zeus. After you trashed my throne room these doors should be light work for you." Well if you are going to blow my head up like that.

Sure I will try something insane and surely crazy enough to get me killed. Curiosity didn't kill the cat...flattery did. I shrugged returning my attention to the doors.

I took a deep breath, placed my hands on the doors...and pushed them open.

I was so surprised I nearly face planted with my butt hiked in the air. "Doesn't anyone knock anymore." Asked a musical voice.

After I recovered myself and saved face I looked for the voice. The room was blindingly bright. I was walking in Superman's shoes as I could see through everything it was so bright. It reminded me of one of those hospital rooms in the nuthouses. All white and padded. I couldn't see the other side of the room. Just like the room we had just walked through. Nico walked in behind us and simply collapsed on the floor. His face was serene like he was just sleeping off a drunken stupor so I left him alone.

"Don't just stand there. Come on in. You are letting the A/C out." I looked around for the voice again. A shadow flitted in front of my face, but vanished before I could train on it. Hades closed the doors. "So what is the special occasion Hades. You haven't been to see me since that little war with the Titans." Ok now I was getting frustrated.

"Hello mortal here. Could you please put in an appearance." The whole god powers was cool, but not when you couldn't see them.

Hades has an amused look on his face. The hair on the back on my neck screamed. I whirled around. She was just standing there cool as a summer breeze. If you took air and trapped it in a bottle, gave it a pouty mouth and eyebrow in serious need of a pluck you would have the woman smiling at me. In that way that only a deranged criminal could. I was sure she was naked and I wanted to blush, but the shift she wore moved and I held back my blush. Though I had blushed more in the few days I had been a demigod that I ever had in my old life. Her skin glowed softly and she wore a gold circlet on her brow. It was competition with her eyebrows violently, but I wasn't going to point that out to her. Her hair stood on in and rippled around her head like she was suspended in water in midair. She had delicate dragonfly wings sprouting from her back. The fluttered gently and kept her floating a few inches off the ground. All in all she was the spitting image of a crazed angle.

"Honestly Dillon one would think you would recognize your mother." The woman said. My mouth flopped open.

"What are you talking about?" I felt my chest tightening.

"Well not mother in the sense that I gave birth to you. What a horrible experience." A chair whirled out of thin air. The woman dropped dramatically onto it like she had just given birth in front of us. "Oh please sit. I haven't spoken this long in eons. Its terrible draining." Extra chairs spun into existence for us. Hades perched on his how I pictures a gargoyle lounged on top of Notre Dame. I relaxed into my chair. It was as soft as a cloud I was sure. "Do you know who I am?" she asked.

I stared at her trying to rack my brain. It was a futile attempt. I couldn't have come up any shorted if she asked me about quantum physics. "Er...nope." No use lying to her.

She waved away my answer. "Its fine. No one remembers me. I never had a shrine or priestesses like the others." Her eyes grew a little sad. "Well my dear I am Hemera, god of the day. I was one of the first beings to come out of creation. My mother Nxy was of course there at creation as she likes to remind me every few eons. Me and my brother Aether came after." She yawned and I swear I could see stars twinkling in her mouth. I shuddered.

I held up my hand. This was confusing as hell. "You're a god? But you're a girl. Aren't you supposed to be a goddess?" I figure that was a good question.

Hemera chuckled, "My dear. I breathed life into the universe. I believe that puts me a little higher up on the food chain than Here or that silly little Hestia and her fires." Hemera actually chucked at her lame joke. "Let me make it plain for you. The goddess can only give birth. Meaning they lack the ability to create. I can create. Therefor I am a god. Even the Olympians gods can only transform like Poseidon with his sea form projects. Why Hades here is my great-great-grandson." Hades inclined his head to his great-great-grandmother.

"Um ok I didn't travel all the way to the Underworld to then traspie to the center of the earth for a family tree demo. Why did you say you were my mother. Last I checked my mom's name was Kelis." And since I was black I didn't think some white chick in a see through gown was my mom.

Hemera chuckled again, "No my dear. I am not your physical mother. As I said I do not need to give birth to create. I created you then gave you to your mother to birth. If that makes any sense." She said that like that was going to clear up matters. She must have seen my face. "Ok let me try this. You have heard of the story of the virgin Mary?" I nodded. "Well it is the same thing. Thought I think I have a little more style than your Christian God." She started to pick at her fingernail as if the drive the point home.

"Wait, why did you create me?" Like that was really my first question.

"Because someone needs to the power to take on Gaia." Hemera's countenance darkened. Almost as fast as a bright day can change into steel grey for an oncoming storm. "She was almost such a brat, but she has really gone too far, and she forgets her place. This world is not her's to command and control. She is a created being. Not a creator." Hades and I both leaned back into our chairs. I was as far into the leather as a cow could have been. "However we old gods are apart of what we created so its not possible for us to manifest ourselves. So I needed a champion and that is you Dillon." She leaned back in her chair smiling like she just dropped the New Jersey Powerball into my lap.

"What do you mean. You are sitting right here in front of me." Maybe she was crazy. Especially if she has been locked in this room since the dawn of time. Wait, she was literally the dawn of time.

"This is not my true form Dillon my dear. I am the dawn and the light. I breath life in the earth and in every living thing upon it. If I were to manifest myself true self in one place the planet would wither and die. People would freeze. Basically it would a zombie invasion minus the zombies. Well I can't be 100% sure about the zombies, but you get my drift. It is the reason it is taking Gaia so long to rise." Hemera yawned again. I avoided looking this time.

"So am I like a superhero or something?" I asked. Hades rolled his eyes at me. I shrugged. Might as well see what I could do.

Hemer's head tilted this way and that as she considered my question. "You can be killed for instance. Being mortal puts a limit on what you can do. However the powers given to you by being a scion of Zeus gives you his powers and more."

I perked up, "I have Zeus' powers?" Now that was good to know.

"Of course. Though I would refrain for trying to take the throne. He is immortal and your are quite flammable." I had no interest in ruling over Olympus. I would have to put up with Hera. That was not my idea of a good time. Now matter if I could slap her into a mountain apparently. "Be warned Dillon. You were created with a purpose and I know Gaia has been to see you. You have the free will to choose a side in this war, but be warned you do not want to make an enemy of me." Even Hades shivered.

"Hey as far as I'm concerned you're my best friend." I held up my hands. "Wait. Who was the lady in the park then?" It had been a nagging question.

"She is order out of chaos." Hemera said. "Nyx. God of the night. Mother dearest however you want to call her. Now Dillon my child, our time is at an end. And I fear your mother is in grave danger. She has been taken to Lake Vostok. Far from my sight. Go now my daughter. Do my will. Make me proud." Hemera smiled at me once last time before she dissolved into tiny pinpricks of light.

Hades almost fell on his butt which cheered me immensely. Nico was still out like a light, but Hades picked him up gently. We started to make our trek back to the Underworld.

"So are you going to call me mama now?" I asked.


	22. Not My First Time

Hades didn't like my sense of humor. The look he gave me would have brought George Washington back from the grave in his powdered wig and everything. I shrugged, I couldn't please them all.

The trek back to Hades' throne room was shorter than the walk down. I, for one was immensely thankful. My boots were totally trashed and I was aching to yank them off and get a pedicure. Didn't know if they have a Demigod Nail Shop in the Underworld, but be something worth looking into.

My clothes were sticking to me and I was sure my hair was going to need a lion tamer in the morning. I could feel the walls closing in for a whiff of my deodorant. And that was too close for my comfort. We were a quiet bunch. I wasn't sure what Hades was thinking. My mind was going in a million and one directions. I felt like a human hummingbird.

Quite a few of those directions featured me and Hugh Jackmen in matching X-Men outfits. Well me in an outfit and him shirtless, and wet. He had to be wet. At that point I knew it was way past my bedtime.

Nico had woken up and was walking behind his dad. I was bringing up the rear.

I guess Hades felt like I could take care of myself since I was the test tube experiment of Hemera's. That was not a pretty thought. It made me feel kind of strange to think that someone had tampered with all the awesomeness that was me. I mean its like finding out that all the things that make you unique and quirky was actually manufactured and put together. Packaged and ready for mass consumption. Meet Dillon Parker, a breathing jigsaw puzzle. Step up folks, only ten bucks to talk to the human jigsaw!

It made me itch.

Not to mention the fact that I felt like I had just taken an injection of Mountain Dew Red into the heart. I had so much energy bouncing around in my body I could feel my hair growing and counting the new hairs that cropped up kept me from screaming at Hades to move it or risk my boot up his can. My nose hairs crackled with energy.

Eww...remember to trim those.

I felt like a energetic monkey by the time we finally emerged back into the throne room which had been put back into its proper order while we were gone. You could tell that a woman had done the handiwork this time. There were more colored gems dotted all over the place now than there were before. And the thrones seemed to be more evenly matched than before. The place didn't look like death frozen in the early Renaissance. I guess Persephone was trying to make a statement this go around.

Undead girl power at its best.

"What is she still doing here?" Oh great Persephone was still awake. Nothing like a pissed off housewife to put you in the mood for a little wonton destruction. Light crackled from my fingertips. Hades gave me a warning look. Which I guess meant he had forgiven me for the first tantrum, he wasn't going to be so nice about the second one.

Fine. I clenched my fist closed and fixed my eyes on Persephone. "Hey doll. I don't want to be here any more than I have to be." I snapped. "Show me the exit." If she thought I wanted to spend another minute in the Underworld keeping her entertained she was dumber than I thought. And I thought dandelions were pretty dumb.

"I'll go get Mrs. O'Leary." Nico announced breaking up the tension in the room. I shrugged and leaned against one of the pillars to wait for him. Persephone glared at me. I glared back. She didn't scare me. She was the flower child of spring. What was she going to do to me? Give me allergies. I just blew apart the throne room of Hades. Yeah she had me running for the hills.

Nico was back in quick order with that huge hellhound that had attacked me early. The dog took one sniff of me and whined. "Oh great, what did I do to you?" I popped my hands on my hips and gave her a look. She rolled over like a good dog. I scratched her belly. Her tail wagged. There, I was capable of taming the savage beast. "Good dog." I told her. I was too tired of having to be speak to have to yell at a dog. Nico was saying bye to his dad. Which was now on my list of top ten most awkward moments. I kept my back turned.

"Dillon," I turned around and Hades was standing behind me looking sheepish. Seriously, the king of the zombies was looking sheepish? There should be a law against that or something. "Darkness and light can not abide each other, but if you ever need help." He pressed a ruby into my hand, "Shatter this and help will be there." He leaned in close to me. "Take care of my son." He whispered. I gave him a smile and a nod. He gave me a punch in the shoulder that should have floored me. Instead it just rocked me back on my heels a bit. I pocketed the ruby as Nico climbed on top of Mrs. O'Leary. Hades gave me a boost up.

"Thanks nephew," I gave him a wink then slapped the hellhound on the rump. She took off like a cork.

I could see the smirk on Hades face as he flew through his castle.

Again it was a short trip back to the entrance to the Underworld. I could actually see things as we shadow travelled. It felt like a normal mode of travel. Central Park didn't seem so scary now. Funny how a boost of god powers could make a girl feel like Batman.

It felt like a hop, skip and a jump and then we were in front of my building. Mrs. O'Leary nearly fell over once me and Nico slide off her back, "She is going to need some rest." I nodded. The stairwell up to my apartment was big enough for her to squeeze through. And with all the furniture in tatters she had room to curl up and sleep. As long as she didn't do a lot of moving around.

Nico and the hellhound followed me up the stairs. I took a few deep breaths. Then opened the door. Percy and Annabeth were curled up on the couch snoring. Leo was still puttering around in the kitchen. I didn't see where Piper had gone. Mrs. O' Leary, upon seeing Percy let out a excited bark, bounded over the couch to push Annabeth off the couch and take her place on Percy's chest. Percy woke with a strangled cry. Annabeth had that little dagger she carried drawn in an instant.

"Its ok calm down Bond Girl. Its just us." I told her rolling my eyes. It was like the girl went to the Rambo School for the Seriously Disturbed or something. Was that dagger glued to her hand.

"Dillon," Percy squeaked from under Mrs. O'Leary's head.

"Yeah it looked like you guys really missed me." I said

"You've only been gone like 20 minutes." Leo answered coming into the living room. He was wearing my mom's Kiss the Chef apron.

I looked at him like he was crazy, "20 minutes! I've been in the Underworld for like days or something." At least it felt like days.

"You went to the Underworld?" Annabeth asked. "Why? How?" For someone so smart she asked a lot of dumb questions.

I gestured toward Nico. "I took the Hades Expressway. What do you think? And I went because Nyx told me to go." Everyone but Nico was staring at me. Piper came tumbling out of the bathroom swaddled in my bathrobe. Ok, now they were just getting a little too familiar in my house.

"Nyx? Are you sure? She is like one of the first goddess ever. Older than even Gaia." One of Annabeth's perfect eyebrows was raised nearly into her hairline.

I was too tired to play ring around the idiot with Annabeth. "It was Nyx. She told me to go seek out Hemera and I found her." I tried to explain. It was like I was talking to a short bus full of kids.

"Hemera!" she shrieked. I rocked back at the pitch of her voice. Geez Annabeth was going to make a great mom. She had that hysterical pitch down like the back of her hand. "Do you have any idea who you are dealing with? These are primordial deities. Older than the known universe. You can't just waltz in and see..." She started with her bullying tactic.

"I can if I'm her daughter!" I stamped my boot and sparks skipped across the floor. That was going to leave a mark.

Everyone stopped moving. Percy's hand hung in midair over Mrs. O' Leary's belly. Leo's big eyes were big enough to see that his brain was now stuck on stupid. Piper's hand froze in mid yank. They all looked scared. Not scared of something happening, but scared of me causing it. That hurt.

Nico's eyes pleaded with me to calm down. I took a few deep breaths. I couldn't wreck my own house like I did Hades'. I liked some of the stuff in this house, and I didn't want my friends to be scared of me. I had to calm down. "If you would shut up for one minute and act like someone else besides you has a brain I will explain everything." I snarled. There that was as calm as I could get.

Someone was going to have dent Annabeth's little crown a bit, and I was itching for the job. Annabeth looked as if she wanted to keep arguing and pushing. I made it clear that I was hoping she wanted to continue shouting at me, but the energy arcing between my fingers seemed to take the wind out of her sails. She waved for me to continue.

I smiled. "Thank you." I went into the kitchen to grab a Coke. Only after I had opened it, taken a long pull, and let a delicate burp did I finally explain myself. Yeah the burp was a little extra, but it was Coke. Burps were part of the territory.

Ok now that everyone was looking at me with their spanked puppy looks I was suddenly nervous. "Um well ok." I sat down on the couch. Leo perched on the arm beside me. Nico's hand twitched toward the hilt of his sword. I jumped off the couch and moved over to one of the club chairs.

"Well I went for a walk." I left out the kiss with Leo. Both he and Nico seemed grateful for that. I was really going to have to do something about that. This was getting out of hand and it was getting on my nerves. "I was downstairs when some giant dog or wolf or something started chasing me. So I ran." I took a pause. "And ended up in Central Park." If I had told any other group of kids that I had run to Central Park I would have been ridiculed till I made a desperate facebook message about 'fml' right before I jumped off a bridge.

This circle of demigods just took it in stride that I was telling the truth.

I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but there it was.

"Nico ambushed me in the park."

"I did not!" He cried his cheeks actually flushing making his claim null and void. I had never seen so much color show on his face before and I was struck stupid at how handsome it made him look. Her dark eyes smoldering as his face reached its boiling point.

I shook my head to clear it. "Well whatever you did." I rolled my eyes. There back to normal. "That's when Nyx showed up telling us that we needed to go to Hemera if we wanted to know how to defeat Gaia." I was sure I was missing something important that she said. Hey, I was ADHA not Sheldon Cooper. "We had to go see Hades. Apparently he is the Grand Central Station of the gods. He knew where Hemera was. Well where part of her was. She can't manifest in one spot anymore. It would be like the end of all things great like peanut butter M&Ms and me." I stopped and took another pull from my Coke. Ice cold Coke in an actual glass bottle was my favorite. There was a little Mom and Pop store down the street next to the comic book store that still sold them by the case. It was the one thing keeping me from going to complete pieces right now.

"So what did she say?" Piper asked. I guess everyone was warming back up tot me again.

I didn't answer at first. How would they react to me being the brain child of a god. Like one of the original gods. I opened my mouth to speak and I couldn't form the words. They irrataed me to know end with the constant questions, looks and weapons, but they were more friend to me than anyone I had know my whole life. I didn't want to risk losing with this news.

Percy must have sensed something. He stood up, "Hey guys lets get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning." Everyone looked to him leadership so they didn't question his suggestion.. I wanted to kiss him but Annabeth was still fingering that dagger to a put a tight clamp down on that thought, and just gave him a small smile.

Going to bed sounded great to me. Leo wandered back into the kitchen with Piper heading back to the bathroom. She had almost gotten all of the bobby pins out and I really wanted her to take my robe off but I didn't say anything. I went into my room and closed the door.

My lamp was laying in pieces on the floor but the moon was riding high enough to bath my room in a silvery light and it was bright enough to see. Though I still felt like I could run the Boston Marathon with my eyes closed my mind was ready to shut down for repairs. I peeled my clothes off promising myself a nice long hot shower in the morning and climbed into my bed. The sheets were clean and dry. It was the best feeling in the world as my comforter settled down on top of me. It felt like home, it felt like my mom.

I rolled over on my side and brought my knees up to my chin. There was a knock at the door. I didn't bother to answer. I heard the door open. I knew who it was, but I didn't turn around and I certainly didn't say anything. I was tired of talking for now. I just wanted to sleep and work things out for myself first before I had to answer a bunch of questions and explain things to someone else. Was that so hard to understand? I snuggled deeper into my bed for comfort.

I heard his jacket fall to the floor before he sat down on the bed. "You ok?" he asked softly. I answered him with a sniffle. Oh great here come the water works. I was an emotional mess. I felt him shift on the bed as he stretched out behind me.

I wanted to jump up out of the bed and dive through my closed window, glass and all. But I didn't. I let him pull me back against his chest and wrap his arms around my waist. Now you might think this is a every day occurrence for a 15 year old girl, but its not. Not for me anyways.

I didn't exactly have them lining up you know. This was the closet I had ever been to a guy. Well other than our first kiss, but that was a freak accident if you ask me. I felt his breath on my neck. It made me shiver. This was getting a little intense.

Nico was older than me and I was guessing a little further up the experience ladder than I was. Hell I was still playing in the mud with my pigtails and bubblegum. Nico was like an adult. He had to have have tons of girlfriends and a baby on the way almost.

As I felt Nico's breath on my neck I was acutely aware that all I had on was my bra and underwear. I was almost naked and I was pressed up against Nico's bare chest. He wasn't wearing a shirt. My heart started to pound in my chest. "Nico...I," He shushed me.

"I know what you think." He whispered kissing the back of my neck. I nearly jumped out of my skin. He chuckled and kissed my neck again. I trembled in his arms. I couldn't help it. The guy who had given me my first kiss was in a bed with me and he was kissing places I was sure the sun wasn't supposed to shine. "You're wrong." He kissed me again. "I'm new at this too." He kissed my neck before settling down.

I knew I was in full body blush mode laying there in the dark with Nico. Believe me a black person blushing in the dark was a sight to see. My mom would have hit the roof if she had walked in on us. My mom had always made it clear that I was not going to end up being saddled with a baby before I was done with a PhD program.

As innocent as we were being no one would believe that we weren't doing anything.

I wiggled around till I was facing Nico. His dark eyes were blazing and his hand was now tracing slow circles on my stomach. I had to close my eyes to focus on what I wanted to say. He wasn't making it easy. I swallowed and counted to ten. Ten was a good number to stop at. "Nico a few days ago you gave me my first kiss and now I'm nearly naked in a bed, in the dark, with you." His arms tightened around me. His eyes never strayed from mine and the fire behind was still blazing. He wasn't going to stop, and I didn't know if I had the strength to stop him if he kept going.

I swallowed again. "This seems like we are on fast forward. Is this because of Leo?" His eyes darkened when I said the name. Bingo. On the walk back to the Underworld I gave the question of Nico and Leo a lot of thought. "Let me settle this once and for all." I leaned up and pressed my lips against his. I didn't know if I was doing it right. I felt him shiver and it made me smile. I guess I was doing it right. The kiss was hot. I mean scalding, Mark Whalburg wielding a gun plus Channing Tatum with no shirt hot. I felt something pressing up against my leg. And time to stop. I broke it off before either of us got any ides beyond the kiss. Well before he got anymore ideas. I pulled back, "You can stay with me but we can't sleep in the same bed." I whispered pushing gently against his chest. Which was rock hard. Geez where did they make this guys? He didn't let go of me at first. He was going to make this hard.

He tugged at the waistband of my underwear. "Nico." I warned him. He blinked and the fire in his eyes died.

"I'm sorry Dillon. I'm sorry." He said crawling out of the bed. He slipped his shirt and jacket back on. "I'm sorry." He slipped out of my room before I could say anything else.

Ah hell. This was going to come back and bite me in the ass.


	23. Ding, Ding Round One

Well the good thing about Nico winding me up like a child's toy was that Gaia didn't drag me off in my dreams to scare the crap out of me anymore. The bad thing was I didn't get any sleep. The ghost of Nico's kiss on my neck kept me awake. Not to mention my skin felt feverish from his touch. What the hell? I had tossed and turned all night. I almost strangled myself in be Ralph Lauren sheets. Which would have been a great way to die I am sure.

He had been ready to...he wanted to...with me...

I jumped out of the bed like a scalded cat.

I couldn't stand being in it any longer. I snatched on a pair of shorts and a tank top. I was sure I couldn't have been a little more gentle on my body, but I had an itch and I just wasn't sure how to scratch it. I walked out of my room in search of something to keep my hands busy.

It was fully dark out now. New York city was in full swing though. Car doors were slamming, people were yelling and cursing. Salsa music was blaring from some stereo or another. This is why I love New york. Even when its people were slumbering the city still kept the beat going.

I tiptoed into the living room and found that Leo was snoring on the couch. With his face relaxed and that trail of drool snaking out of his mouth he looked so cute. The drool wasn't so cute but I could forgive him for that as long as he kept it on his arm.

Piper was curled up in the love seat. She had finally gotten all the bobby pins out, but her hair was still coiled around her head like a crown. Her mom must have worked something good on her. Maybe if I prayed to Aphrodite she would bless me with a rack the size of Iraq. Something to think about. I guess Percy and Annabeth were in my mom's room. Eww...I hoped all they were doing was sleeping.

I didn't see Nico in the living and I didn't see him when I peeked into the kitchen. I grabbed another Coke from the fridge. I twisted the cap off and took a long pull. Did Nico run back to the Underworld to curse my name for rejecting him? That would just be my luck. Him and Persephone could sit around the camp fire and gossip about me. She would love that I bet. I finished my coke and let its icy fingers crawl through my blood. It felt good.

After my little cola love affair I turned to head back to my room when he stepped out of the shadows. I yelped and nearly swallowed my own tongue. "What the hell Nico." I hissed holding my hand over my heart trying to keep it from bursting through my chest. This whole stepping out of the shadows thing was starting to fray my nerves in the worst way.

He had that stupid boy grin on his face like he knew just how much he was winding me up. I stuck my tongue out at him. Jerk. I turned and quietly stomped back to my room with as much righteous indignation as I could muster in a pair of shorts that said_ JUICY_ across my butt.

He didn't move to follow me. I turned around to look at him. "Are you coming or not?" I didn't need to ask him twice. He nearly tackled me into the room which I found cute and annoying.

He jumped into the bed first. His lanky frame seemed to take up all the available space and he knew it. That smile was still plastered on his face. I folded my arms across my chest and gave him my best Brooklyn stare. "That is so not happening." I informed him.

He set up in the bed his face growing somber. "Dillon. If that's all I wanted there have been plenty of girls who were willing to give that to me." He patted the bed. I relented and sat next to him. He tugged on my elbow till I unfolded my arms. "Since my sister died I've just been existing. I even tried to bring her back from the Underworld, and when I found out she choose to be reborn I've been on this endless hunt to find her." He grunted like he wasn't sure why he was sharing all of this with me. Frankly I wasn't sure either.

I had two emotional states. Pissed off and hungry. "But that night when I sat up watching you I don't know I felt something for the first time that wasn't hate or hurt. And that kiss. I felt like my lips were on fire. Dillon you are like liquid fire walking around. And I don't want to consume you I just want to be in your shadow." He leaned in and gave me a soft kiss on my lips.

"You know I've never had a boyfriend before." Ok cool so we were both in the sharing mood. "I don't know there were guys at school that I liked, but I don't know." I didn't want to tell him that they had rejected me. We were at that sharing stage yet. Maybe if we survive this impending war I will share that tidbit with him.

He pulled me into his arms and I let him.

It was easier this time for both of us to just lay in bed with nothing happening. He held me close to his chest and it helped me to sleep. Knowing he was there.

When I woke up I was pressed tight against his chest and he was snoring into my hair. We both still had our clothes on. That was a good thing. I eased myself out of his embrace and then the bed. Nico looked like he could use a little more sleep so I tiptoed out of the room hoping to get into the shower first and take my time. I so needed some me time and my shower time was total me time.

Leo was already up and in the kitchen. I heard pots banging and I could literally see the vapor trails of whatever it was he was cooking, and whatever he was cooking had my mouth watering. He was humming some catchy tune as he worked. I stood against the door jamb and watched him work. I wish I could feel something for him. He was so sweet, but I just didn't.

He was making omelets. "Did your mother teach you to cook?" I asked walking in and starting a pot of coffee. If you were going to run off into the world slaying monsters it was best to do it hopped up on Starbucks Breakfast blend.

"My mom was a great cook. Even when she got home from the garage really late she was always up to make me breakfast." He said, but it wasn't in his usual cheery voice. Wow did we all have parental issues at Camp Half-Blood? I didn't want to push him on the mother issue. Hell I was going through my own still. I patted him gently on the back as he tipped a fluffy omelet onto a plate.

I looked at him, "Are we ok Leo. I mean I know you..." He shook his head and I stopped.

"Dillon its ok." he shrugged and gave him a million watt smile. "Really." He handed me a plate and shooed me out of the kitchen.

I don't know why but that made me feel worse. I could have dealt with anger and rage. Hell it would have helped me work out some of my frustrations, but that smile. Why did he have to be ok with me picking Nico. Hell why was I even in the position to have to pick between two great guys? A month ago I got laughed at when I asked Jamal Hicks to the winter formal. Now I was kissing two boys and spending the night with one of them. When did my life get so complicated.

I pushed my plate away. I didn't feel like eating anymore, but I was going to be damned if I didn't get in a hot shower.

Thank Zeus I was the first one in the bathroom. I practically threw myself into the shower with the water running as hot as I could stand it. I leaned against the wall. How had my life turned down this path and where was I going to be tomorrow or next week? Ugh I pushed off the wall and started washing myself. I wasn't one for these deep thought moments. Yeah, yeah I know I'm supposed to be this emotionally wrecked teenager who spent all of their time brooding and trolling for bad boys, but that just pissed me off. I had better things to do than brood.

Stepping out of the shower I felt better about my life, well better about being a monster killer and having the son of Hades as my boyfriend. Oh great I had a boyfriend. I toweled off and walked out of the bathroom. Percy nearly bowled me over in his haste to get into the bathroom. "Whoa Quick Draw." I giggled as he slammed the door.

The whole house was awake now. Leo was walking out of the kitchen with another omelet to which he tipped into Piper's plate. She had gotten a few strands of hair down and she looked like a deranged angel if you asked me. Annaebth was already half way through hers. She gave me a look that let me knew that she didn't forget that I was holding back last night. Whatever. I didn't answer to her.

I wanted to walk back into my room and slam the door but I didn't. I wasn't going to let Annabeth take me through all those changes. Nico was pulling a black t-shirt over his head when I closed the door softly. He turned around and looked at me. "Morning," He gave me a silly grin.

"Hey," I answered back moving over to my closet to find something suitable to wear. Thank Zeus whatever took my mom left my closet in tack. The only things I had at the bobble head institute were my school uniforms so the bulk of my fashion obsession was here. I threw open my closet and wanted to sigh in sweet relief. I pulled out a yellow jersey dress with a serious split up the leg. The first time I wore it my mom nearly had a heart attack. She said something about being able to see my burning bush which I thought was seriously graphic and utterly wrong, but I promised her I would always wear a pair of leggings with the thing. And since I was going to be chased by giant talking dogs, hounds from hell and other nasty things wearing pants seemed like the order for the day.

I grabbed a pair of black leggings and a pair of white and yellow Pastry sneakers. More than likely they were going to be ruined, but I sure as Zeus didn't want to mess up another pair of boots. When I turned around to get dressed Nico was still standing in my room. For the first time I noticed a little silver skull ring on his finger. It was so cliché that it almost made me giggle. "No freebies big boy. You wait outside." I told him.

He had already seen me in my underwear more times than the girl at Victoria Secrets who helped me pick out my first bra. He was so not seeing me stark naked. That was just a path I didn't want to go down right now. He gave me a sheepish grin before ducking out of my room.

I dressed quickly thinking that it wouldn't be good for my health to keep Annabeth waiting any longer. Not that she scared me, but I just didn't want to deal with the headache of listening to her bitch and moan all the way to Lake Votski or whatever. I'm going ot need a notebook or something to keep track of things.

Everyone was in the dining room eating by the time I made an official appearance. My hair was slicked up into two afro puffs. I felt like Foxy Brown. All I needed was a leather jacket and a Smith and Wesson and it was going to be on like Donkey Kong. Everyone turned and looked at me. Ok creepy, but I guess it was showtime.

"Talk." Annabeth commanded. She was seriously going to piss me off one day and we were going to have to thrown down. As soon as I learned all the tricks of the trade I was going to take her down a peg or two I really was.

So instead of talking like I was planning on doing anyways I walked right past her and into the kitchen to grab a coke from the fridge. Annabeth was not the boss of me and she was not my mother. I took my sweet time downing my soda before returning back to the dining room.

I sat down in my chair and turned to face them. "I'm Hemera's daughter." I said.

"How is that possible? The primordial Gods didn't give birth to demigods." Annabeth explained.

"Didn't you spring up from your mother's happy thoughts." I snapped back. Annabeth jumped out of her chair pulling her little dagger. I jumped out of my chair. "Bring it Combat Barbie." I snarled. I didn't care if she cut me to ribbons I was sick to death of her and her attitude.

"You want a piece of me?" Annabeth asked circling around the table. She palmed her dagger. I was half way around the table when Percy jumped in between us placing a hand against her chest.

"This isn't helping." He said looking at me.

"Tell your girlfriend to chill." Nico ghosted behind me slipping his arm around my waist holding me back as well. It felt good that Nico had my back the way Percy had Annabeth's.

Me and Annabeth glared at each other some more.

"If they want to fight let them have at it. Then maybe we can get some work done." Piper said. We all stared at her like she was crazy. "Well they are just going to keep snipping at each other, but if they get it out of their system then maybe we can get some work done." She said reasonable as she managed to get more of her hair out of that coil on top of her head.

"If there's jello I am so down with that." Leo chimed. I would have happily strangled him, but all the fight had drained out of me.

"Oh for Zeus' sake. No one is jello wrestling." I snapped. They were totally killing my Foxy Brown buzz. "But I'm game for a little cage match if Barbie is." I had a mad gleam in my eye. Annabeth has been crawling up my butt since I got to Camp Half Blood and I was itching to get her off my radar.

"You've got a smart mouth and a lot of attitude I would be happy to readjust it for you." She cracked her knuckles like that was going to scare me.

I grinned as I shrugged off Nico's arm. "This isn't going to solve anything." Percy warned as he stepped back from Annabeth.

"No but its going to make me feel really good." I said before I flew at Annabeth.


	24. To Russia with a Vengeance

I caught Annabeth off guard as I launched myself at her. She didn't have time to whip out her dagger as I caught her with a harsh right hook. I felt one of my fingers break as my fist connected with her face. I knew I had rung her bell by the way she staggered out of her chair and onto the floor. It felt good to finally wipe that impish smirk off her face.

Percy shouted something but I wasn't listening.

I landed like a cat next to her as the blood flowed from her nose. Annabeth rolled over and pushed herself off the ground. She had her dagger drawn and murder in her eyes. There wasn't enough room to circle each other like prey but that didn't stop us from eyeing each other.

Annabeth actually growled at me like a feral cat. "Here kitty, kitty," I smirked. I wasn't sure what sort of powers I had, but I knew they bet being super smart and extra annoying. She lunged at me and I rolled with her dive. She landed on top of me and the air rushed out of my body, but I managed to knee her in the chest. Her peppermint scent breath blasted me in the face and I pushed her hard.

Her head cracked against the bottom of the table and her eyes crossed. I pounced on her and stared down at her. I pinned her arms with my hands as she struggled to get up. "I don't like you," I said slowly and deadly. I could feel a small fire building in the pit of my stomach. "I've had my entire world shattered and my mom kidnapped on top of that I find out I'm an Olympic test tube baby." The fire was traveling up my chest. My ears started to steam and Annabeth's grey eyes grew wide and she started to squirm harder. "All I wanted was just a little understanding and maybe a gal pal to shoot the breeze with. I didn't ask for your scorn and your little attitude." Now my hands were starting to heat up. Blisters started to pop up across Annabeth's arms.

"Dillon stop!" Nico shouted. I felt his strong hands on my shoulders which had started to smoke. "You're going to burn down the whole block." I looked up from Annabeth's frightened face into Nico's His face went from stark white to Cuban brown in a instant as he tried to maintain eye contact with me.

I let go of Annabeth to look down at my hands. I was glowing. "Nico." I said with a hint of panic in my voice. Annabeth scrambled from under me into Percy's arms that were rapidly tanning as well.

Nico pulled me into his arms. He was darker than I was at this point. "Calm down." He whispered as he stroked my hair. I was shaking hard and the heat I was throwing off had me sweating like a run away slave.

I tried to break but my heart was racing away in my chest and my body temp was about to spike. I felt the world spinning behind me. "Its ok. Its ok." He kept talking to me and stroking my back. I felt myself calming down attitude wise and temperature wise. I went limp in Nico's arm. He cradled me. The world was still spinning but the heat wave was gone.

It felt like an eternity before I could see properly and in one dimension. Nico held me up as I turned around. The entire room looked like it had been painted in relief. The walls were scorched and everyone looked like my cousins. Piper was rocking a killer afro and Leo's hair had curled back onto his head so tight he looked he had a jerry curl.

"Aww hell." I groaned as all the fight and fire drained out of me. "I'm so sorry." I said as the tears stung my eyes. I had been ready to fry Annabeth and what's worse I knew I would have enjoyed it.

Percy's eyes were balls of burning hate as he knelt down to help Annabeth stand. Her arms were covered in angry red blisters and burns. "Hell of a way to treat your friends Dillon." He croaked at me. Everyone's voice had been rubbed raw by the heat I had been throwing off.

It was my turn to stagger back. His words felt like a physical blow to my stomach and I had to blink back my tears. "No Percy its alright. I was wrong." Annabeth said. Though her voice sounded like she was speaking through a pillow, and her color wasn't too great. I had really busted her nose, and her arms didn't look too pretty either.

My heart was thumping in my chest. "Its been awhile since I was the new kid and I forgot how it is. The changes, the trust issues and I've been less than friendly with you." She let loose a sigh that caused a air bubble to surface from her nose. Any other time it would have made me giggle but it didn't. "Can you guys give us a few minutes?" she turned and looked at everyone. Most of them were looking at me with wide eyes.

Especially Leo and Piper. Like I was a poisonous snake getting ready to strike. I guess I had almost burned everyone to death and that was a scary way to die. I was going to have to learn to control my emotions before I hurt someone I did like.

So I guess I was a bit poisonous. I had just popped my friend in the face and had been prepared to do more than that.

Everyone nodded and drifted out of the dining room. I even heard the front door open and slam.

I gathered that was Percy. Oh gods I had just sucker punched his girlfriend in the face. The first friend I had ever honestly made and I had knocked his girlfriend flat on her back.

"I am so sorry Annabeth I don't know what came over me," I said the tears spilling down my face. If anything I was more upset at upsetting Percy. He had been a good friend to me since the first day I had arrived at Camp Half-Blood. I was only mildly sorry about popping Annabeth in the face and giving her a much needed tan. She really did have that coming if I were honest. And everyone knew I was a honest person.

"Its ok Dillon. All demigods have to deal with hubris." She held a rag up to her face.

I looked up at her. "What?" I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Pride. All of us have to deal with pride. And you being Zeus' kid and now apparently you have some other godly parents you have a lot of power at your disposal. Couple that with being a regular teenager and all the other things you've been put through in the last few days I'm surprised it took you this long to become unhinged." She pulled the rag away from his face. She was going to need to set her nose if she wanted to retain her Barbie doll looks.

I didn't like the unhinged comment, but I was going to let it slip. We were making some headway and now wasn't the time to spit on the hand of friendship she was handing me. "That's still not an excuse. My mom taught me better." I dropped into one of the chairs with a sigh. That little light show really had taken a lot more out of me than I wanted to admit.

"And I didn't help the situation. I guess I don't know. When you came it was like when Thalia was here and then Percy and then Jason. You guys are children of the Big Three and naturally everyone in camp looks to you for direction and everything. You guys get first crack at all the quests. I thought I had worked through all this with Percy, but I guess I didn't." She sighed and pulled the rag Percy had handed her away from her bloodied face. "I was maybe a wee bit jealous and I was mean to you and I'm sorry." She sat down and peered at me with her storm cloud colored eyes. "Can we start over?" she asked sticking her hand out towards me.

I looked at her hand and then looked back at Annabeth. I couldn't do this quest without her and she was apologizing and I was the one that had popped her in the face. I didn't like that she was trying to be the bigger person. I somehow felt that was going to come back and bit me in the butt sooner rather than later, but if I snubbed her now there was no coming back from that.

I grabbed her hand and gave it a good shake. "I'm sorry too. Its not like I'm not used to be unwanted and I just let all my emotions bubble and froth till I couldn't take it anymore. Everything is changing. First Nico kissed me and then Leo kissed me then some talking wolf chases me then I get to meet Hades and I blow up his throne room..." I rambled.

"You blew up Hades' throne room?" Percy asked walking back into my apartment. He didn't look quite as murderous as he had when he left. I took that as a good thing.

I nodded. A smile quirked up the corners of his mouth.

"I near brought the whole thing down on his head." I added. That got a full smile from him. We were both quiet for a full minute. "I'm sorry Percy." I told him. Another tear leaked out of my eye and I didn't try to catch it as it slid down my face.

He sighed and walked over to me. He ruffled my hair like I assumed a big brother would have done. "Its ok kid we all do stupid things, but if we are done beating each other up we do have a quest to get on with." My face burned as I remembered my mom and that she was missing. Well no kidnapped was the better word.

Everyone else drifted back into the living room to prepare to leave. Piper and Leo still were eyeing me like I was going to eat them, but Nico had seen my tantrums before. He seemed mildly bored at this point.

I wondered back to my room to do something. I just needed to move and just do something. There wasn't any packing we had to do as I had packed at camp, but maybe I could find something else to shove into my backpack.

I heard Nico walk back into my room and I didn't say anything as he sidled up to wrap his arms around me. I let him comfort me. The first time we met Nico had been ice cold, but now he was toasty as a summer day. "I thought you were going to kill her," He whispered into my hair. I didn't know if I should have been scared at how much I was growing to like his comfort.

I shook my head, "I guess I just needed to work off some steam. My patience has a nanosecond trigger lately. I've been a real bitch and I don't know why." I wasn't sure why I was opening up like to Nico, but it seemed easy to talk to him more so than anyone else. He tightened his arms around me before kissing the back of my neck. I shivered at the contact.

I turned around and rested my head on his chest. He had a slower than normal heartbeat. "I tried to kill Percy after my sister died." He tilted my head up to look at him. I could see tiny flecks of gold in his dark eyes. Ugh I was turning into one of those girls. "So don't feel bad," He told me. He leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips.

And I let him. I felt the earth move as Nico kissed me with total abandon. His hands moved slowly down my back and came to a stop on the top of my butt. He pulled back to look at me. I frowned. "I love you Dillon," He whispered as I stared up at his face.

I blanched, "What?" I know it was stupid respond but he had caught me completely off guard.

"There has only been one person in my life that I loved and that was my sister. She died before I got a chance to tell her I loved her once last time. I'm not going to make that mistake again." He said that simple enough.

"But..Nico.." I was floundering.

He shook his head, "I know Dillon. Don't worry I didn't say it to get you to say it to. I said it because I wanted you to know. Kids of Hades tend to have strong emotions and once we settle on one its hard to change our minds." He leaned down and covered my confusion with another kiss. My brain tried to hold onto the thought I was trying to form, but it was wasted energy. Nico's lips were just that good.

Someone cleared their throat and Nico pulled out of the kiss. He didn't let go of me though. Piper was standing in the doorway. "Um we're ready when ever you guys are." she said before disappearing. Nico grunted and let go of me.

"Well I guess its time to get this quest started." I said with a false cheeriness. In truth I felt sick and I was seriously scared. Not to mention I had a boy that I was sure my mom was not going to approve of telling me he loved me with the seriousness that only the grave could convey, but I was going to be strong for my mom. I had to pull it together if for nothing else just her.

She was missing and someone taken her and when I found her they were going to wish they had killed me when they had the chance. Nico saw the determination in my eyes.

"There's that fire," He growled capturing another kiss before moving off to fetch his leather coat and whatever else the son of Hades needed for a quest.

Which turned out to be that little wicked black sword he's always carrying around. Well at least we were going to be a well armed bunch. Though the way I was feeling the more I thought about someone wrecking my mom and snatching my mom I was pretty sure we weren't going to need any weapons.

I pulled on another hoodie and grabbed my backpack and walked back out into the living room. Piper was grinning like the cat who finally got the mouse. Being the daughter of Aphrodite I was sure she was bubbling with all the love and girly emotions me and Nico were throwing off. I was going to need to say away from her. I didn't want any of her love mojo rubbing off on me and clouding my feelings for Nico. I just wasn't ready to be in love. Kissing him was fantastic, love was something different entirely.

Everyone else was indeed ready to go. "Um how are we supposed to get to Russia?" Leo asked.

"Russia?" I asked. When did we decide we were going to Russia?

"Lake Vostok is in Russia," Piper said pulling her hair into a sloppy ponytail. She had managed to pull all of the bobby pins out and get her hair down from that 50s updo. I sort of missed the updo.

"Can we shadow travel?" I asked Nico.

"Um I think its best to keep you out of dad's hair for a few thousand years and he's still pissed at Percy." Nico said. I knew there was a reason I took an instant liking to Percy.

"What about flying?" Piper asked.

"Er yeah Zeus doesn't like me either." Percy spoke up.

"Well damn Percy maybe we should start with the gods that you haven't pissed off. That might be a shorter list." I said popping my hands on my hips.

He gave me a rueful smile. Well good at least we were back on friendly terms again. The jury was still out on Annabeth. We might have kissed and made up but I doubt we were going to be having sleepovers and braiding each other's hair any time soon.

"Can we get some Pegasus to take us?" Annabeth asked of Percy.

He shook his head. "That's a long way for one of them to fly. And I can only vouch for Blackjack being able to make that trip. You know Dillon your brother Jason could control storms." He offered looking at me.

And on cue everyone else turned to look at me. "Uh how does that help?" I asked.

"You could call storm horses to take us all the way to Russia." Percy said reasonably like he was asking me for money for a cab. Everyone was still looking at me as if this were all perfectly normal.

"Storm horses?" I asked. Something just didn't seem right about that. Flying I could do. Maybe riding on a horse I could do. But riding on a horse made out of storm energy from the US to the Soviet Union I was not doing. "Um yeah I'm going to nix that plan. I don't care if dad has a bug up his butt about Percy. I feel better with a jet engine under my butt. Let's book the flights." I told them. There were plenty of things I was prepared to do to get my mom back.

I was going to have to work my way up to galloping storm horses for sure. "How are we going to pay for tickets to Russia?" Leo asked.

Percy grinned. "I think I got that covered. My dad gave me this to use in case of emergencies. I think this counts." He pulled a clear credit card out of his wallet and waved it at us. "Not sure how much is on there, but let's find out." He went over to my mom's computer to start booking flights.

I went back into my room to hunt down my passport. I hadn't been out of the country in years, but I know it was somewhere in my sock drawer. That was where I put things I didn't want to forget about. I found it at the button under a pair of those stupid socks with the individual places for the toes. It was a shocking shade of yellow that you could only stare at for a minute before the color blinded mom loved the things. I hated them, but she kept buying them for me. It was our little thing. Looking at the socks made my heart squeeze and I had to sit down on my bed.

Something had taken my mom just to get back at me and I hadn't done anything. I didn't know I was crying till I felt the tears falling on my hand. "Hades kidnapped my mom on my first quest," Percy said softly from the doorjamb.

I looked up at him knowing my eyes were red and my nose was starting to run. I wasn't a pretty crier at all. "Did you get her back?" I wasn't sure I was ready for the answer, but I needed to know. Percy was best at this quest thing and if he failed I had no chance in hell of getting my mom back. 10 minutes ago I had been fighting with one of my friends.

"Of course," he responded with a smile on his face. "And I promise you we will get your mom back too. We got the tickets. We leave in two hours so we better head for JFK now." He told me before rejoining the others in the living room.

Well then it was time to get down to business. If Percy found his mom in one piece with his help I could find mine. And I was going to make them pay for even thinking about touching her. If Zeus wasn't going to do anything to protect her I was going to pull down the heavens and cast it into the sea to make sure she was safe.

I slipped off my boots and put on the socks. If I was going to rescue my mom I was going to do it in style. I put my boots back on and stood up. "Yipee ki ya bitches." I winked at my reflection and walked out of my bedroom.


	25. Gaia Must Die

The rest of the gang was standing in the living looking like an armed squad of Cabbage Patch kids. It would have been comical if we weren't going to recuse my mother.

I had hoped the subway ride was going to be nothing but smooth sailing, but I guess that was just too much to ask for. We got onto the car easy enough. Nico didn't bother paying, he just did his son of the grave thing and ghosted right through the turnstile. I had to admit it was sort of sexy.

The car was crowded and people kept bumping into my and throwing me dirty looks. Nico's hand in mine kept my anger at bay. These people were just mortals what right did they have to touch me? Who the hell did they think they were? I growled deep in my chest. Nico squeezed my hand till it hurt. I blinked and looked over at him.

"Your eyes were starting to glow," he whispered.

"Sorry," what the hell was going on with me? I could feel myself smiting everyone on the train just because I could. Who hell was still smiting people? I was going crazy. I really was.

Nico was standing at the pole next to my chair while I was sitting. He had glared someone down till they gave me their seat. Maybe having a boyfriend how happened to be the spawn of the Grim Reaper was going to be a good thing.

The train stopped. A few people got off, a bunch of black teenagers got on. I eyes them warily as they laughed and joked around.

See here's the thing. I'm black through and through. Right down to the little nappy curls on the my neck, but I've never hung around a lot of other black people. Most of my friends had always been white and my mother worked with nothing but white people. So it wasn't that I didn't like black people. That was still, it was just I didn't hang out with them and other than our skin tone I didn't feel like I had anything in common with other black people.

One of the eyes caught me looking. He flashed a smile and I looked away. He wasn't even remotely my type. For one his pants were down around his knees. He waddled over to me. "What's it doing ma?" he asked me. I rightly ignored him. At least Nico had been playing the knight in black leather when we met. "You stuck up or something?" That got my attention. I glared up at him.

"Do you have a problem?" Nico asked. The black guy was at least five inches taller than Nico. Nico wasn't small. I guessed he was at least 5'10. Of course everyone towered over me on the best of days.

"Oh so you too good for a brother had to go uptown and get a white boy." Ok now I was getting pissed. I went to stand but a shake of Nico's head kept me in my seat. For one thing we were riding around in a metal tube at least 30 feet underground. If I lost my cool there was no telling how many people I could hurt. And I thought Nico wanted to flex his boyfriend muscles in front of me.

If he snatched the boy up by his jeans I would be happy. Nico moved to stand in front of me. Right into the guys face. "You're breathing my girlfriend's air. I think you need to find another car." The thing with Nico was that he radiated silent menace. It was a slithering cold that snaked up your bones and settled in your marrow. I figured it was grave magic. It brushed against me. I dare say it snuggled me.

I could tell when it wrapped around the boy because his eyes went from ad ass to little boy wetting his pants in an instant.

He back peddled away from me and Nico with a quickness. After a few words with his entourage they all moved on to another car. When they were gone Nico dropped his power. My skin was covered in goosebumps. I was tingling all over. Nico turned to look at me. I could see he wanted to pound his chest and howl into the night.

I threw him a wicked grin. He winked at me. Oh yeah ladies I might keep this one.

Ugh it was official. I was one of those girls. Those annoying girls with boyfriends who have nothing intelligent to say that doesn't start with 'my boyfriend.' Well I was just going to have to make sure that I stayed Dillon. Leading a quest might just help that.

When the train stopped for the last time before we hit the rail to the terminal a pack of homeless looking men climbed aboard. The other passengers, seasoned New Yorkers could see trouble ten miles down the road. They wisely found another car to ride in. I didn't blame them. The group of men looked like they were ready to burn down the world and pee on the ashes. All of us tensed up. Percy started flipping his pen in his hand. Annbeth started cleaning her nails with her little dagger. Piper tried her best to look fierce, she only managed constipated. Leo started snatching things out of the tool belt strapped to his thin waist trying to make some do-dad or another. If he was ever in a pinch he was going to get himself hurt.

I felt my lightening bolt earrings tingling. They were itching to be used, but I would tear apart the tunnel if a threw a bolt around in the car. It would kill us all. I rather liked breathing and I was sure Persephone would make my afterlife hell.

All of this happened within a heartbeat. It was amazing how battle ready we all were. Especially me. This was officially only my third day carrying around deadly weapons.

The group of men were just as tensed for a fight. They seemed to only have their bulk and their smell. The unholy smell that rolled off of them was enough to gag a maggot. I swear I could see a green vapor rising off of them to contaminate the air.

I tried not to swallow my tongue, but it was hard. My eyes started to water and I wanted to rip my nose off my face and toss onto a fire anthill. Piper went green around the ears and Leo threw up right onto the floor. It was hard for me to believe that a person could smell like that and not give a flip.

I had to blink through the tears running down my face. The smell was absolutely unreal. Hades couldn't have thought up a better smell. I wanted to cough but I didn't dare open my mouth. If that smell hit my stomach I was going to puke up my liver.

The mangiest of the men detached himself from the group to stalk over to us. I recoiled back. If he touched me I was going to burn my skin off with battery acid. "Dillon Parker." His voice grated against my ears. I wanted to clap my hands to block it out.

Nico moved to block him from me. "Stand down pup. Wouldn't want to eat the son of the dead. Terrible on the digestion." The man smiled flashing his teeth. It wasn't a friendly smile at all. The smile helpd promises of a pain so intense your mother was going to feel it. Still Nico didn't move. I had to give him credit he was staring down a batcrap crazy man with a stench to could raise the dead. Literally speaking.

Nico and the man stared each other down. None of us moved. I was sure if we did it was going to be a flipping free for all. Finally the man gave Nico the slightest nod. None of us relaxed. "I mean the queen no harm." I peaked around Nico to look at the man.

Under all the New York filth I could see the barest hint of a smile.

"Its ok Nico." He turned to look at me. He was not a happy camper. Not at all. I nodded. He stepped aside but stayed within stabbing range. "Who the hell are you and what do you want." It was hard to be tough when you were trying to breath through your mouth and talk at the same time,but I was going to pull it off if it killed me.

The man knelt down at my feet and I had to resist the urge to kick him away from me. First of all it might start a fight and second of all I might get my shoes dirty. "My queen." His hand reached out for my foot, but he pulled back. It would have been a bad career move if he had gotten my shoes dirty.

"Err?" I gave him the 'someone farted in the elevator' face. I was totally confused right now. I think it was the gas. He looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. It would have been cute if his cloths had been held together with pigeon crap. "Ok I hate to say it but can I borrow a quarter so I can buy a clue." Everyone seemed to assume I know about all of this stuff. I mean hell it was only my second week.

Steep learning curve much.

The man gave me a funny look as he tried to see if I was pulling his leg or being serious.

He seemed to realize that I was being serious. "Lupa has been slain." He stated. He looked supremely pleased with himself. I continued to look at him. Was I supposed to know who that was?

"What? How?" Percy stood up to tower over the man kneeling on the rocking subway.

"Not all cyclops are friends Percy Jackson." the man told him. The emotions that flickered across Percy face gave him a feral look.

"Ok I know you guys think you are explaining things but you really aren't. Who is Lupa?" Since everyone else seemed to know who she was, and I was the only bonehead left in the dark.

"The Queen of wolves. She nursed Romulus and Remus when they were abandoned. They grew up to be the founders of Rome. She is the guardian of the Wolf House. The place where all Roman demigods must prove themselves before they are allowed into Camp Jupiter. Its the Roman version of Camp Half Blood." Percy explained.

Well that certainly cleared up a few things...not really.

"So if Lupa is dead why are you calling me queen." I mean ok so I haven't shaved my legs in a few days but I certainly wasn't hairy enough to be called a wolf.

The man looked up at me, "Lupa claimed you sister and heir." He was deathly serious.

Everyone was looking at me. I opened my mouth to speak and found I didn't have the words. I just shook my head. What the hell was going on with the world. I was a demigod, no I was the social experiment of a god and now I'm a wolf queen. Was the daydream going to end?

"Why would she do that. I don't even own a dog." Ok that was a tad childish I know, but I was about to reach my limit. I really way.

Before I met Nico my life had been on a pretty even keel. Sure I got kicked out of the occasional boarding school, but that was to be expected when you locked me up in a school full of snotty trust fund babies with impulse control problems. Other than that my life wasn't anything to write home about. I went about my business, kept to myself and didn't make any waves. I was an average girl just hoping one day I would wake up and be able to fill out a bra.

Getting sent to the office by the Dome started my life on a slow roll into chaos. Chaos with a cute boyfriend mind you, but a total crap fest to be sure.

I was just getting a handle on being a demigod and having the king of the gods as a day and then wham I find out that I'm actually the brain child of a god that had front row tickets to creation, oh let's not forget that I'm her champion, whatever the hell that meant and now I'm supposed to be queen of a pack of stinky men in a bad need of a chemical peel.

I shook my head. My ponytail swished back and forth across my back. It had a strange calming effect. But it wasn't enough. I needed a bubble bath with a hot chocolate chaser.

The man peered at me. I guess he was rethinking the queen business. I didn't blame him. I probably looked like dinner to him.

"Gaia's attempts have awoken gods long forgotten. They will stand against her in the coming war. History has warped her true nature into that of a comely grandmother who bakes cookies and reads bedtime stories. She can not be allowed to rise. Lupa stood against her cyclops and she was cut down. She said Rome and Greece have to come together if any are to survive the war. She claimed you, thus we are yours to command." The other men knelt down on the subway floor.

I nodded. Well at least he was making sense a little bit now. I'm not sure how long I sat there lost in my own head which could be a scary place sometimes.

"Be strong in front of the pack," Percy whispered out of the side of his mouth. I had to swallow back the little yelp. He had pulled me out of my daydream. There was a bit of a gratitude in that.

I looked up at him and nodded. When I didn't know what else to do I could fake it till I made it. Acting tough was a Brooklyn staple.

I stood up grabbing onto the pole so I wouldn't topple back into my seat. That would kill the whole acting tough act I was going for. "So you are my pack?" I asked the man kneeling at my feet.

He looked up at me. "Yes, my queen." He shivered at the word queen. My heart quickened.

I could get used to this. I looked back at everyone. Piper was smiling at me, Leo's eyes were as wide as saucers, Annabeth was trying really hard not to roll her eyes. Percy was trying not to cry and Nico looked about as happy as a one legged man in butt kicking contest.

Well if I was going to have a private army I might as well use them. "I am going to Russia to rescue my mom." The group stirred. I could feel their anticipation like a second skin.

"Say the word my queen and we will tear the world apart looking for her." The man growled.

"You say the sweetest things." I responded. He flashed his teeth at me in what I took as a smile.

We made plans for half the group to make their own way to Russia and for the other half to travel with me on the plane. How they were going to get on the plane undetected was none of my business. As long as they didn't bring the FBI and NSA down on top of our heads for doing something stupid I was a happy camper.

Well after that it was smooth sailing to JFK. Everyone gave us a wide berth. Which was good for their health. I felt like I had drank ten Redbulls. I wasn't sure where I had gotten the boost from, but I wasn't going to complain. I doubted anyone of us got a lot of sleep, but this 20 hour flight should help with that. It was 10 hours from New york to Moscow and then another 10 hours getting across Siberia. I was hoping we could get dog sleds for that trek. I had always wanted to race on a dog sled.

I didn't know why. It just seemed sort of cool.

We got onto the plane without any incidents. That was a good thing. All of us were armed to the teeth, but nothing went off. TSA didn't run after us with pick forks and torches. Not even Annabeth's little dagger tripped anything. "Celestial bronze isn't a known metal to mortals that's why it doesn't set off the sensors." Piper explained. I gave her a small smile in thanks.

We had just barely made it on time so where was no time to grab something to drink or to read for the flight. I couldn't remember if I had packed anything.

Percy must have had a black card or something because we were sitting in first class. I had never flown first class before. It wasn't that me and my mom were poor. We just spent our money on different things.

I grabbed a window seat. Nico sat next to me. Piper and Leo sat behind us. Annabeth and Percy across the isle from us. They quickly sank into a private conversation. So did Leo and Piper. Not that I didn't want to talk to Nico. I just felt awkward. It seemed like our little encounter went for KISSING straight to marriage and I didn't even pass go.

He lifted up the arm rest to snuggle up next to me. I didn't have the heart to wiggle out of his embrace. "You're thinking too much about us." He said as the doors began to close.

I looked down at his alabaster arm around my waist. "What are you talking about?"

He looked up at me. "Just feel Dillon. Don't analysis us. Yeah there are a million and one reasons why we shouldn't be together, but we only need one reason to stay together." He leaned up and kissed me. I swear the plane tilted. When he pulled back his face had a healthy glow to it. His usually dark eyes were brimming with flecks of brown and gold.

Like a moron I just shook my head. I had no experience with relationships. At this point I was willing to let Nico lead. The plane took off. I could empathize with the plane. Suddenly you were on the ground and through no fault of the plane suddenly it was thrown into the sky while it was being piloted by someone it had never met. Yeah I was grasping at straws but it had barely been a week since I was sitting in algebra thinking about throttling my teacher.

Now I was a demigod test tube experiment who happened to be dating the prince of the underworld.

After a few minutes we were served lunch. I was surprised at how hungry I was. I hadn't realized that I never finished the omelet that Leo had made till I smelled the steaming meatloaf the steward was serving. Leo was in heaven. He ordered every dessert they had. Piper had a salad that I was sure weighed more than she did. The rest of us got the meatloaf and mashed sweet potatoes.

After lunch we all settled down for a good long nap. I know I needed one. Nico was asleep before I was and I got to watch him. I wish I could tell you that he was a total mountain troll when he slept, but he wasn't. If anything he was drop dead (yeah I will own that pun) gorgeous. His face lost that hard edge. It made him look twelve but I loved it. I placed a soft kiss on his lips. He sighed and curled around my tighter.

I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

"Wake up little daughter." I was instantly awake. It took a minute for my eyes to focus, but when they did they narrowed.

"Hera," She was wearing a sky blue gown that pooled around her feet as she sat looking at me. Her brown hair was twisted up into a tight chignon at the back of her head. I looked around the plane and the other passengers were snoozing softly in their seats. Piper and Leo were still awake and they were looking less than pleased about our current visitor.

I turned back around in my seat. I glared at her and she just smiled back at me. Something was wrong. There wasn't a arm draped across my stomach anymore. My heart thudded to a complete stop in my chest. I looked over to the empty seat next to me.

Nico was gone. Nico. Was. Gone.

My heart started to beat again, but it felt like someone was squeezing it a little too hard. I sat up straighter. "Where the hell is Nico?" I couldn't keep the edge out of my voice, nor the tears from starting to sting my eyes. I may still have had a few questions about our relationship, but I wanted him and he was mine.

Hera looked down to pick at a fleck of dirt on one of her nails. "How should I know. I only just arrived." She looked up at me. Her little smirk was too damn smug. She knew where he was. I moved to get out of my seat but Leo had leaned forward and he pulled me back into my chair. I turned and growled at him. I literally growled.

Annabeth and Percy stirred awake. Annabeth jerked in her seat, "Hera." Seemed like I wasn't the only one not in the Hera fan club.

"Tell me where he is Hera." I was done playing with her.

"You will get your little playmate back when you learn a little humility." She sniffed. That's was it. I snatched away from Leo. His fingernails left deep grooves on my arms. I threw myself at Hera. She had a moment to blink before I was one her. My hands closed around neck and I squeezed. I felt my whole body light up. Percy and Annabeth flinched back.

"Cover your eyes she's going nuclear!" Percy shouted.

"I swear I will burn you till the crows scatter your ashes if one curl on his head is ruffled." I shouted. My anger boiled inside my body. It coated my tongue and spilled out of my mouth. Hera's eyes bulged in her head and I grinned. She was getting the picture. "Tell me where he is Hera if you want to see another sunrise." Her skin was starting to blister. I could feel her trying to pull away my hands, but I was stronger than she was. I could feel her attempts to stop me growing weaker. I lifted her up from the floor by her throat. "You took what was mine I'm going to kill you Hera." Whatever she saw on my face sent a jolt of pure terror through her body. She gave her head a tiny bob and I released her.

She sucked in a lungful of air and went limp.

I stumbled back from her. Percy pulled me up to my feet. My clothes were steaming. The tears spilling down my face were leaving a steam trail in their wake. I felt like a burning torch. "Tell me where he is."

Hera finally looked up at me. Some of her swagger was gone. Now she understood me. "I don't have him. I was just supposed to collect him." She had to pull herself up with the seats. Even then she wasn't steady on her feet.

I moved toward her, but Percy pulled me back. He really thought he was holding me, but I was letting him hold me. If I latched onto Hera's throat again I was going to kill her, but she knew where Nico was. "Who did you give him to?" It was going to be the last time I asked her.

"Tartarus." I fell back against Percy. Even I knew where that was, and how bad it was.

"Why?" the word came out strained.

Her eyes burned with hate, "To punish you and because I was asked." She had finally pulled herself together.

"Gaia." It wasn't a question. She didn't answer, but then she didn't have to. "I want him back, unharmed."

"That I can't do. Tartarus has him." She smoothed out a wrinkle in her gown giving Nico not another thought. "Gaia said walk away from the quest and he lives. Don't and Tartarus will enjoy slicing away him mind one memory at a time."

"If I have to tear the earth apart rock by damned rock I am going to get Nico back and then I'm coming back for you Hera." My tears dried up up and I was able to smile again. "Run and enjoy what little life you have left." She glared at me one last time before winking out.

Percy finally let me go, but I went limp against him. I was trembling and the tears had started up again. My mom was missing and now Nico was in the pits of hell all because of me.

I turned to look up at Percy. "I've got to get him. I can't leave him there." I wanted to rescue my mom I really did, but I knew my mom would understand.

"I'm coming with you." Annabeth didn't look happy about that. In fact she looked as if she wanted to continue our cat fight from the living room. Going on a quest was one thing. That was too be expected of us, but now I was directly putting her boyfriend in trouble and Annaebth struck me as the sort of girl that took things like that personally.

I shook my head, "No Percy I need you looking for my mom." Sure I wanted the help. Hell I needed the help. I was still pretty new to this whole questing thing, but something had been taken from me and I sure was hell was going to get it back.

"Are you sure?" He asked. Percy was fully ready to go into the very pits of hell with me. For me. I couldn't hold back the tears that slide down my cheek.

"I'm sure." I leaned up on the top of my toes and kissed his chin. It was as far up as I could reach. Percy was a California Redwood. "Rescue my mom Percy. Its the only way I will be able to think clearly to get Nico." He fixed the sea green eyes on me. I could totally see why Annabeth was crazy about him.

"Be careful. Tartarus is dangerous. We will be too far away to help." He really didn't want to leave me alone to my own devices. That was sweet. It really was.

"I might even beat you home." I gave him a wink. Now all I had to do was to figure out a way to get off a moving airplane without killing anyone.


	26. Wolves on a Plane

**Nico's POV**

Nico hurt all over. Not just on the surface of his body, but every atom, neuron or electric impulse in his body was screaming for mercy. Every time he thought about moving his body whimpered in protest.

He knew of some of the punishments that the dead had to endure in the Underworld for their transgressions against the gods on Earth, but he didn't think any of them were going through the pain he was going through at this very moment.

There was a time when at a point like this all he would have been able to think about it Bianca. She had been his entire world for his entire life. She was all the things you wanted in a big sister. She was his rock, his hiding place, and never did she once make fun of him for still playing with toys, but now he couldn't remember what she looked like. All he could see was Dillon. The blaze in her eyes when someone pissed her off. The radiant heat in her kiss. The cute little way she bit on her bottom lip when she was really concentrating on something. Right now he would sell his soul to see her smile again.

A few silent tears rolled down his cheeks into his ears.

He wasn't tied down to the stone slab he was laying on. There was no need to tie him down. The pain that his body was being put in kept he locked in place.

Nico felt his teeth beginning to weaken under the force that he was using to keep his mouth clenched. He was not going to break. He was going to be strong. His friends would come for him. Dillon would come for him. She would rip apart the entire world for him. No she hadn't said she loved him yet, but he knew that she did. Just like she knew that she loved him.

"Yes fight me son of Hades. Its always better when you fight," The voice slithered over his body and Nico shuddered. His vision of Dillon completely shattered.

He felt a finger draw down his exposed chest and stomach. His skin burned where nail met skin. He almost gagged on the smell of his burning flesh. "You think the daughter of Zeus loves you." The voice laughed. Nico could feel the acid of his amusement flowing over his exposed body. "Zeus loves none but himself. His children are no different, but I will enjoy playing with her if she does come." The voice laughed again.

Nico's screams rang out in one sustained note. "Yes Nico di Angelo scream. Your father can not hear you. Bianca can not hear you, but perhaps Dillon can hear you." The voice was right in his head. Brushing against the memory of his first kiss with Dillon. How small she looked on the bed surrounded by all those white pillows. How her dark skin glowed against the stark whiteness of the sheets. How her lips felt against his. Nico screamed again. He didn't want the voice in his head. He didn't want the voice to taint his first kiss.

He tasted blood in his mouth, and his muscles were staining for release. "Leave Dillon alone." he croaked. He didn't think he remembered how to talk but he did.

The voice laughed again. "Beg me son of Hades. Beg me not to peel that lovely skin from her body. Beg me not to suck the marrow from her bones. Plead with me not to wear her teeth as a necklace." The finger started to draw lazy circles around Nico's stomach. He felt his intestines boiling.

"Beg me Nico. I promise I will make her death sweet." A tongue lapped at the burns on Nico's stomach. He wanted to crawl away, but there was nowhere to go.

"Please don't hurt her." He whispered.

The voice chuckled again, "Oh I think we can do better than that." The licking stopped. "Cast your eyes on me son of Hades." Nico didn't want to open he eyes. He wanted to stay in the darkness. He knew that if he opened his eyes he was going to die. "Look at me" The voice roared. Several bones in his body broke under the command. His eyes popped open.

He wished to hell that he had kept his eyes closed. He was in a nightmare.

**~~X~~**

I stood in the bathroom trying not to have a breakdown. I really was, but it was hard as hell. My body was shaking all over. Not like I was cold, like every atom in my body was vibrating. I felt myself heating up again.

First they took my mom. That had made me sick to my stomach, and mad off all at the same time. The only mistake she made was having a one night stand with a god. Zeus of all people. With the crazy wife. Now she was caught up in Olympus' mess. I gripped the edge of the sink to keep from screaming. I didn't know how strong I was. I could bring the whole plane down.

Steam was rising off my bare arms from the cuts Leo gave me. I feral growl started building somewhere in the pit of my belly.

But now they had Nico and I was pissed. Royally. These gods were pushing me around just because they could and I hated that. They thought I was weak. That I was frail. That I wasn't up for the job because of I was small, or too young or too stupid to run away. Well they were wrong. I might had walked away, but they were picking on the people I loved. In Brooklyn people caught bullets for less. There was going to be hell to pay when I caught up with whoever had my mom and Nico.

Bullies. They were all the same. I was going to enjoy burning them to ashes.

Hot tears were streaming down my face. I wanted to tear down the framework of heaven to get my mom and my boyfriend back. I wanted to strangle every last god till their eyes rolled back in their heads. Including my dad. I would save him for last. All of this was his fault.

I punched the wall of the bathroom. "YOW! I yelped as the pain shot through my fist and up my arm. Ok I was a little stronger than I was yesterday. I glared at the wall as if it had been the one to hit me. I turned a circle in the bathroom looking for something to stab, or fry, or strangle.

I had to calm down. I couldn't let them get the best of me. I couldn't let them make me lose control. I could kill everyone on the plane. Including my friends. I took myself back to my first night in the Zeus cabin. Nico's lips brushing mine. Him wiggling my little toe as he chuckled. I could feel myself calming down. My core temperature returning to normal.

I sagged against the sink. I was covered in a sheen of sweat. I was not looking pretty. That much I know, but I was happy that I hadn't blow up a plane with my friends inside. I needed to make nice with Persephone. If my death was going to be a every day thing I wanted to make it right with the Queen of the Dead. She looked like she could hold a grudge.

I sat down on the top of the toilet seat to keep from keeling over. I sure as hell wished Hemera or my dad had given me the lowdown on what I could do and how I could control myself. This yo-yo thing with my body was starting to show. I was sure I was looking like five miles of post Katrina road.

Ok my hissy fit was over. I cleaned up the scratches on my arm from Leo trying to hold me back. They stung like the Dickens, but I wasn't going to cry anymore. Technically I couldn't cry anymore I was drier than Iran in the summer. I was going to drink my body weight in Coke when I got back home. Then I was going toPastry and buy shoes till I could taste leather, then I was going to go all Willy Wonka at Dylan's Candy Bar.

There, I was back to my old self if I could think about chocolate a mile over the Earth.

I had a mother and a boyfriend to rescue. It was official. Nico was my boyfriend. It made me mad all over again to think about Hera snatching him. She was like so many women, getting made at the fruit of her husband's philandering ways instead of getting mad at the root. Her husband. She was the queen of Heaven she didn't have to take his crap anymore than a mortal woman did, but she took out her anger on the wrong people. And I was going to kick her ass for it.

"Don't think I am going to forget about you Hera." I muttered. I didn't know if she could hear me, but she sure as hell going to remember me when this is all over.

I opened the door to the bathroom and stepped back into the little galley area on the plane. I had seen in movies how some of them had elevators that led down into the belly of the plane. That was my only way out.

It really shouldn't be the hard to get off a plane in mid-air,. Nico could ghost through walls for pete's sake so why was I trying to figure out a way to get off plane. My mother was the god of light damnit! And my dad was lord of the sky. I should feel better in the air than I did on ground. If Nico hadn't been snatched away from me I'm sure I would have felt like a pig in mud, but nothing shy of his smiling face was going to make the world a better place.

I found the little elevator that brought the food up easy enough. Being the small person that I am I fit in it with room the spare. I had the cringe at the noise of the engines in the belly of the place. I found the baggage area around the backside of the prep kitchen.

"My queen why are you down here?" I yelped at the sound of the voice. I had completely forgotten about my pack.

I turned around. Four of the darkest wolves I had ever seen were huddled together in a dark corner. It wasn't that they were a dark color it looked like they were darkness themselves. I had to wonder how much was their actual coat color and how much was just some of New York finest dirt. It was a miracle their smell didn't give them away.

It was crazy that I didn't find talking to a pack of wolves strange. Oh how my life had turned. A few days ago I would have checked myself into Bellvue with a smile for considering anything like this. Now it all felt normal.

"I've got to get off this plane. Hera kidnapped Nico and I have to get him back before they kill him." I explained. "I will get him back." I told them. Nothing was going to stop me.

"We will follow." The lead wolf told me.

I nodded. "What's your name?" I couldn't keep calling him a wolf could I now.

"I am your gamma Clark." Ok that made about a much sense as a cook who hated food, but we were going to work with it. I didn't have time for a wolf pack lesson. "There is the baggage bay in the back that we can open without bringing down the plane." We all nodded. He lead my toward the back tail of the place. I saw the baggage door he was talking about. It was a simply latch and lift job.

Clark made quick work of it with his hand. Which were he only parts of his body he changed. I had to swallow back the bile that rose up in my throat. That was pushing the limits of me weird tolerance.

The air rushed in violently. I had to grab ahold of on the baggage bays. "Blackjack," I cried as the Pegasus stuck his snout into the plane. If the wind hadn't pinned me to the luggage rack I would have topple out of the plane in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He snorted.

Of course I couldn't understand him. He was a creature of the sea god. I was a daughter of the King of Heaven. Whatever he was doing I was going to use him. He flew along side the plane as I climbed on. He seemed to have the same idea as I did. I was starting to like horses.

I held on to his mane for dear life. The wind was clawing at me, trying to rip me off his back. "Would the misses need any help?" another voice called. I nearly toppled off Blackjack's back. A translucent woman in a sundress was floating next to me. What was this? The Mile High Grand Central Station?

I glared at the floating woman. My nerves were frayed almost beyond repair at this point. It was so not a good idea to keep poking and surprising me. "Who are you?" I demanded.

The woman didn't acknowledge my fury once single bit. "I'm Tab. Head Aurai for Zeus." The woman twirled her dress a rainbow of colors.

"What's that?" Blackjack snorted again.

"A wind nymph. Zeus said we should keep an eye on you. Looks like you could use a hand. Never met a mortal trying to get out of a plane in midair before." She poked her head into the plane for a look around. "And you have a pack of wolves with you. That's a new one too." She looked back at me. "Who are you?"

"I'm Dillon. Can you give my friends a ride back to the soil?" Blackjack was getting impatient. If we were on the ground he would be pawing a hole to china by now.

"Sure thing." She put her fingers to her mouth to release a sharp whistle.

I cringed. I always hated whistling.

A few of her friends materialized out of thin air. Good lord if I kept hanging out with demigods I was going to be in danger of drowning in puns.

The guys had to transform back into actual men. The nymphs weren't keen on carrying skittish wolves. My pack grabbed a ride back down to the ground on the back of a gorgeous wind nymph. I didn't hear any complaints from them, but I was going to be saddle sore. I just didn't have the legs to sit on a horse.

I didn't want to know what my hair looked like. I could probably give a poodle a run for their money.

We were dropped off in Central Park. I was a native New Yorker so the concrete jungle was my playground. I loved the smog, the noise, the rudeness of the asphalt of New York, but there was something magical about Central Park. It was the only green space you were going to find in the Big Apple. I loved it. It felt like home. Everything in the world was starting to make sense again.

I waddled around to get the feeling back in my legs. My pack gave me some space. I wasn't crazy with revenge anymore, but they didn't know that.

Clark sniffed out the entrance to the Underworld while I was getting my head back in the game. I was going into the pit of hell itself to rescue my newly acquired boyfriend. I didn't have time to be a weepy female with her emotions on her sleeve. I had to make Buffy look like a Girl Scout.

I hadn't really paid attention the last time I was there so it was a good thing I had some friends along who were good at finding hidden things. We stood around the knotted tree. I was not looking forward to going back into the Underworld. Not because I was scared for myself or Nico. I was bringing him home and then we were going to snuggle on a couch and watch Doctor Who till we turned blue. I didn't want to go because I was going to mess up someone day. Royally.

"We are with you." Clark whispered softly. A lump formed in my throat. My entire life had just been me and my mom. No one else was invited. Now in the span of a week I had a boyfriend I was sure I was going to fall in love with, a best friend who would kill for me and a pack who would rip apart the fabric of he universe at my command.

Things were starting to look up in the world.

"Let's go introduce Tartarus to my wrath." I threw them a smile before stepping into the tree and heading down to the Underworld. My wolves howled into the darkness heralding their queen.


End file.
